Feature
August
25
Church Congregations Getting Smarter
by Terry Trahan Jr.
Take a closer look at your surroundings the next time you take a seat in a church pew.
You may notice an abundance of designer shoes, ties, blouses, sport coats and even jeans filling space in the nation’s houses of worship. The members of the congregation donning the apparel aren’t just showing off their Sunday best at services—they are likely among the country’s most educated people who make up a large percentage of the church-going population.
The American Sociological Association recently presented a study that reveals a decline in attendance by less-educated Americans, but consistent attendance by those with a college degree.
According to the study, monthly church attendance by those who have high school diplomas or some college credit has dropped from 50 percent to 37 percent. Attendance by those who never completed high school fell from 38 percent to 23 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage of educated citizens who hold at least a bachelor’s degree dropped the least, from 50 percent to 46 percent. In a nation that once valued dressing up on Sundays to spend an hour in worship, the numbers point toward a trend away from tradition.
But that’s not the case at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Bayou Black.
The Rev. Joshua Rodrigue, pastor at the church, said St. Anthony welcomes about 800 parishioners and guests during three Masses celebrated every weekend. While the church’s attendance fluctuates because of other scheduled events and personal situations, Rodrigue said he hasn’t seen a sustained decline in numbers.
“In our area, you don’t have to go far to find a Catholic church,” he said. “Their schedule sometimes decides on where they go. We have many roaming Catholics instead of Roman Catholics.”
And there’s also another reason.
“It depends on the football games,” Rodrigue laughed. “It depends who’s playing—whether the Saints or LSU.”
Built around a bayou community, the church’s parishioners come from all walks of life. The pastor said his congregation’s demographics are well-balanced, but include a large number of educated individuals—specially those involved in the education and medical fields.
And if the recent study is reliable, those are the ones filling the pews regularly every weekend.
In a 2010 Gallup poll, 35 percent of Americans said they attend a church service at least once a week. The number has remained consistent over the past two years. Also, 8 percent of Americans said they attend almost once a week, and 11 percent claimed to attend about once a month.
When it comes to those exclusive Christmas and Easter visits, 25 percent said they seldom step into a church. And then there are the 20 percent who never go.
Though some churches look empty on Sunday mornings, pastors have embraced steady numbers and work to build a successful faith-based ministry without concentrating on demographics at the church.
The Rev. Steve Graves, pastor at Mulberry Baptist Church in Houma, said his church hasn’t suffered from a decline in attendance. In fact, he has noticed more families in the congregation in recent weeks.
Still, Graves recognizes that attendance is down elsewhere, and suggests that authenticity and relevance may be the culprits. The pastor said some people stop attending regularly when they get frustrated because they don’t see biblical lessons manifested in their lives. Also, he said the pastoral staff may be to blame in some circumstances when biblical teachings aren’t effectively communicated.
Whatever the reason, fewer American families are making church a weekly priority. And those that do seem to be getting smarter.
