The bad news for the economy was thought to be bad news to the church. Throughout September and October, newspapers and websites were reporting that the downturn in the economy was also producing a downturn in church donations.
However, earlier this week the NY Times reported that bad times are actually drawing bigger crowds to church. People, who until recently have placed their faith in the American economy, their new homes, and their jobs, are looking for something else into which to place their faith. Paul Vitello writes:
Since September, pastors nationwide say they have seen such a burst
of new interest that they find themselves contending with powerful
conflicting emotions — deep empathy and quiet excitement — as they
re-encounter an old piece of religious lore:
Bad times are good for evangelical churches.
“It’s
a wonderful time, a great evangelistic opportunity for us,” said the
Rev. A. R. Bernard, founder and senior pastor of the Christian Cultural
Center in Brooklyn, New York’s largest evangelical congregation, where
regulars are arriving earlier to get a seat. “When people are shaken to
the core, it can open doors.”
Seems like pastors, who are sensitive to the economic realities of their parishioners, could have a golden opportunity to reach new people for Christ!
