As we enter 2017, here is a look at the religious landscape of the families we are striving to reach and minister to. Pew Research recently created an imaginary 100-person town that represents the church attendance patterns and beliefs of families in the U.S. It provides us with a clear picture of where we are.
- 36 attend church at least once a week.
- 33 attend church once a month.
- 30 seldom or never attend church.
- 89 believe in God.
- 55 believe in heaven and hell.
- 17 believe in heaven but not hell
- 3 believe in hell but not heaven.
- 25 do not believe in heaven or hell.
- 53 say religion is very important to them.
- 24 say religion is somewhat important to them.
- 11 say religion is not too or not at all important to them.
- 55 pray on a daily basis.
- 21 pray at least once a month.
- 23 seldom or never pray.
- 58 would still identity with the religion in which they were raised.
- 42 would no longer identify with their childhood faith. 21 of the 42 were Protestants. 13 were Catholics.
