Findings regarding Congregational Growth Congregational Growth Fifty-one percent of congregations report they have grown in the previous five years . Although Historically Black Denominations used a somewhat different question, the direction and vitality of their growth is essentially the same.
Congregations grow in different ways.
New suburban communities especially are favorable to growth of faith communities, where religious participation is supported by family composition, higher educational levels and income, available teenagers and young adults, and a higher percentage of male participants. Opposite demographic factors are associated with membership decline, such as lower education, lower income, more elderly, more women, and, for congregations, more lifelong members. Those few congregations with 80 percent or more families with children show markedly less growth. Contrary to some published experts, congregations with a strong commitment to social justice and with direct participation in community outreach ministries are more likely to be growing than other congregations. This pattern of social involvement contributing to congregational growth is true across all denominational groups.