CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Results from a national survey of attendees of 420 randomly selected Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregations have been calculated, and the ELCA Department for Research and Evaluation is currently in the process of determining worship attendance trends and how the results can directly benefit the church's congregations.
Results show who attends ELCA congregations and that many ELCA members remain with their congregations for a long period of time.
Never before has a survey of this magnitude been done, said Martin H. Smith, senior research analyst for the department. The survey started when U.S. Congregations, a research group that works from the offices of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), used a $1.3 million grant from the Lilly endowment to conduct an interfaith survey. The ELCA participated in the survey, using its templates and scanning technology to survey its members only.
U.S. Congregations surveyed 43,463 congregation attendees from 420 ELCA congregations in the United States.
"Surveys like this have never been done before because they are too expensive," said Smith. "But now, because we used the same survey that U.S. Congregations did, we can see how ELCA attendees compare to those of other denominations."
The ELCA survey was sent out April 29, 2001, to a selection of congregations based on size and synod. The ELCA has 5.13 million members organized in 65 synods across the United States and the Caribbean. Questions ranged from "Are you regularly involved in group activities?" and "Do you have a sense of belonging to this congregation?" to personal questions about age, income, and number of children.
Now that the results have been calculated, the ELCA will compare its results to other denominations that conducted surveys and to the national U.S. Congregations results, but with caution, said Smith. He warned comparing some of the results is like "comparing apples and oranges."
The U.S. Congregations survey asked: 'Which aspects of this congregation do you personally value most?" A majority of ELCA church attendees answered "sharing in Holy Communion." Comparing the ELCA answer to the national U.S. Congregations answer regarding this question, and others, may not be completely accurate, because some religious groups surveyed do not participate in the Lord's Supper, said Smith.
"There is no one main issue we are looking to get out of the survey," said Smith. "The biggest thing we can get from the survey is how we can strengthen our churches and learn more about who is coming to church."
The survey shows that a majority of ELCA attendees are White women.
Smith said one staggering fact that is cause for alarm on the ELCA results was that 93 percent of attendees are White or Caucasian.
"We need to understand our need to be diverse," said Smith. "Evangelism is a high priority issue."
There was a difference between the ELCA answer and the national survey answer for the question "How long have you been going to worship services or activities at this congregation?" While the national results found that one in every three worshipers is new to their congregation, 41 percent of ELCA attendees have been at their congregations for more than 20 years.
In addition to the 420 congregations first surveyed, the ELCA sent out 130 surveys to fast-growing congregations. A fast-growing congregation is one that has had its attendance rise every year, said Smith. These results will be compared to the other ELCA results to examine attendees who switch churches frequently and those who do not.
Congregations that participated in the survey will receive their results and the total results. To help the churches sort through the material, they will be provided with a video and a book, "A Field Guide to U.S. Congregations." The book outlines and graphs the results of the national survey. -- -- -- More information about the national U.S. Congregations results can be found at http://www.uscongregations.org on the Web.
*Amy Wineinger is a junior at Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa. This
summer she is an intern with ELCA News and Media Production.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
