Churches weather the recession

A survey that asked churches how they fared during the economic recession found that there was a collective sigh of relief from most pastors and congregational leaders—nearly 75 percent said “well” or “very well.” And the majority of congregations (65 percent) reported that their finances either remained the same or improved in giving from 2010 to 2011, after the worst of the recession.

Nonetheless, troubling signs appeared in the data in the 2013 Congregational Economic Impact Study, according to William G. Enright, director of the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at the Indiana University School of Philanthropy. In an interview with the Century, he cited a few of them:

• “Only four in ten congregations reported that their revenues (donations and other income) kept pace with the 8 percent rate of inflation between 2007 and 2011, which means 60 percent did not.”