How churches responded to the financial downturn
Percent of Christian church attenders reporting each church response, 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%
- Increased 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 survey of 1,203 U.S. adults, November 1-5, 2008; margin of error 2.9 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%. Increased 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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- Church finances over the last two months Barna Group, 2009
- Church leaders who made no ministry changes due to the economy Barna Group, 2009
- Churches that made no ministry changes because of the economy 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.