Churches slowly rebound from recession

The recession was a double-barrel blow to American congregations:
directly hurting their budgets while increasing the demands for
counseling, emergency housing and other social services.

But the
worst seems to be over, according to a report that says one in ten
congregations has begun to recover from the loss and more than 40
percent are now stable or improving financially.

The "holy toll"
report, based on the 2010 Faith Communities Today national survey of
more than 20 religious groups, found that more than half (57 percent) of
U.S. congregations reported that their income had declined due to the
recession.