How churches responded to the economic downturn
Percent of Christian church attenders who said their church did each, 2008 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Special prayer support for those struggling financially (73%). Lowest: Special talk about the financial situation (35%).
- Special prayer support for those struggling financially: 73%
- More material assistance in past three months: 52%
- Personal financial counseling opportunities: 37%
Source: Barna Group, Churches Stand to Lose Several Billion Dollars in Lost Donations Due to Economic Downturn · Telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,203 U.S. adults, November 1-5, 2008; margin of error ±2.9 percentage points. Article published 2023-12-13.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Special prayer support for those struggling financially (73%). Lowest: Special talk about the financial situation (35%). Special prayer support for those struggling financially: 73%. More material assistance in past three months: 52%. Personal financial counseling opportunities: 37%.
Who published this data?
Barna Group, 2008. Source: Barna Group, Churches Stand to Lose Several Billion Dollars in Lost Donations Due to Economic Downturn (https://www.barna.com/research/churches-stand-to-lose-several-billion-dollars-in-lost-donations-due-to-economic-downturn/).
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More Giving statistics
- Americans who donate to charity or church, by Bible engagement American Bible Society, 2025
- Church giving compared with last year Lifeway Research, 2025
- Congregations' income compared with expenses Lifeway Research, 2025
- Budget lost by churches with shrinking revenue, by church size Barna Group, 2009
- Budget lost by churches with shrinking revenue, by church size Barna Group, 2009
- Churches that cut spending to compensate for diminished revenue Barna Group, 2009
About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.