Purpose-driven vitality also can be measured by the quality and quantity of financial support that members give a congregation. Size makes a significant difference here. New churches, especially when they are small, report a precarious financial situation, while older, larger congregations, especially in suburbs, feel their financial health is stronger. Growth Fifty percent of congregations report that they are growing and that they welcome change, which contributes to growth. Contrary to some widely quoted scholars, 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.
Location makes a major difference as well.
Congregations in suburbs are more likely to be growing, while those in rural areas are apt to be losing members, regardless of their openness to change or willingness to accept new members. The impact of change to contemporary worship is clear throughout this report. Although we cannot tell if these particular symbols of change will be a passing fad or enduring aspect of worship, they point to a dynamic of change to which some congregations are responding. Changes in congregational worship, like growth, are associated with size and location, apparently as congregations respond to changing community and cultural conditions. Congregations most committed to increasing diversity are in the centers of metropolitan areas, while faith communities least committed to increasing their racial-ethnic diversity are located in rural areas, villages and towns, where the opportunities are fewer.