523 Church Attendance and Gas Prices
People go to church to fill their spiritual tanks, but now that it costs over $50 to fill their gas tank I wondered how that was affecting their attendance.
“Well Clothman, I still attend all the same church events,” says Becky a single mother of five who drives 25 miles round trip to church three times a week. “However, I combine as many of my personal errands as possible. Now we go to church and shopping or soccer.”
Mary is an 85 year old widow who relies on others to get to church. “Oh yes Clothman, my wonderful friends still pick me up for church; however, the drivers have consolidated cars. Now there are several of us old fuddy-duddies in the car.”
John’s family drives over 50 miles one way to church and is now looking for a church closer to home. “We love our church but it costs over $250/month just for church gas.” (I might have phrased that differently.)
Luke is a DINK (Double Income No Kids). “To be honest Clothman, we were already going to church less and less and the high gas prices gave me an excuse to just stop attending altogether.”
Pastors are feeling the pinch, especially in operating costs. Jeff Boschmann, pastor of Lolo Community Church has seen their church camp propane costs jump from $1000/month to over $1800. “We’re still busing kids for free to church and camp and will continue to do so; however, we’re feeling it.”
“Of course high gas prices have affected us,” Mitch Jones, pastor of Atonement Lutheran says, “but they’re not controlling us. Gas prices have been rising for 100 years; we’re going to respond not react to these latest price hikes. We’re simply being more conservative and responsible – which is good.”
So it seems that higher gas prices have moderately affected church attendance, especially among those who live far from their church. I don’t think we’ll see a deep impact until prices rise to $5 or $6/gallon in the next year or two. When that happens some bigger changes are in store.
Increasing numbers of people won’t be able to justify or afford long drives to church. This will especially affect mega-churches which attract attendees from a 40-50 mile radius. To survive, super-sized churches will develop neighborhood campuses with synchronized video links. Mid-sized neighborhood churches, like Atonement Lutheran, will be fine because most of their members live within 3-5 miles of church.
Overall giving, already on the decline, will slip further because fewer cars in the parking lot means fewer bills in the offering plate. Furthermore, higher energy costs leave members who do attend with less discretionary money to give. This will hit small congregations hardest. Unable to keep pace with rising staff and operating expenses, they will be forced to close their doors or merge with other churches.
The less committed, like Luke, will continue to drop off. To draw in new members churches may return to the busing trends of the 70’s. A more attractive draw for many will be churches meeting in homes or on the Internet. But the biggest and best change ahead for churches will be a renewal of the core relational principles of Christianity which Jesus described as loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself. Cheap gas drove many of us away from that; expensive gas will bring us back.
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