The research team studied information from 1,230 churches, synagogues, and mosques of varying denominations, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Protestant, Episcopal, nondenominational Christian, Roman Catholic and others, with sizes that ranged from seven regularly participating members to 20,000.
They found that 27 congregations closed since the first wave of research, with congregations that owned a building more likely to remain open and active. About two-thirds of churchgoers attend congregations that have a website and 44 per cent of congregations have sites. There was a 123 per cent increase in the number of congregations with websites and smaller congregations with a few dozen members were more likely to close than those with hundreds of members.
"The main difference between congregations doomed to disband and congregations destined for revival is a willingness to adapt, to alter their congregational identity in response to change in the communities in which they are located. And whether a congregation is willing to adapt depends largely on the outcome of conflict between advocates of the status quo and advocates of change," the researchers stated.
Researchers suggested that congregations are able to live because they are minimalists and require little funding to launch and survive. They are also flexible and adaptive and can easily reduce congregational activities and goals to a bare minimum, the team noted.
"Congregations can continue in this way for a long time, perhaps until a precipitating event like a major conflict pushes them over the edge."
Anderson believes a congregation's survival may be linked to the commitment of the members.
"If you've got a group of even only 10 people who are deeply committed to the organisation whether it's because they've gone all their lives or got married there or had their kids baptised there, it's amazing what a congregation can pull from its membership," she said.
More research is required to determine exactly why congregations are able to "limp along and survive", as Anderson noted, while other organisations die.
The findings were published in the June issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion in an article entitled "Dearly Departed: How Often Do Congregations Close?". Another comprehensive article is expected to be published in December.
