A Comparison of Selected Summary Statistics
from Wave 1 and Wave 2 NCS findings
The tables below provide descriptive statistics for many of the items shared by both waves of the National Congregations Study. In this table, a single asterisk (*) indicates a difference between 1998 and 2006-07 that achieves at least a .01 level of statistical significance. Two asterisks (**) indicate a difference that is significant at the .005 level. When we report medians, the asterisks refer to the results of the statistical difference between means. In a few instances, a mean difference between 1998 and 2006-07 is statistically significant even when the median is unchanged. In these instances, we omit the asterisks.
We urge caution in interpreting every significant difference between Wave I and Wave II as evidence of real change between 1998 and 2006-2007. There are, after all, just two data points for each item, the NCS sample size is large enough to make even substantively small differences reach statistical significance by conventional standards, multiple t-statistics have been calculated, and weights applied to the data make conventionally calculated standard errors too small. For all of these reasons, a conservative approach to interpreting differences as evidence of real change is warranted.
The numbers reported in the tables below are raw numbers that do not adjust for any of the differences in methodology between Wave I and Wave II such as more summer interviews, more in-person interviews, or congregations that were nominated by Spanish-speaking GSS respondents or whose interviews were conducted in Spanish.
| AGE AND SIZE | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Median founding date | 1924 | 1940** | 1938 | 1944** |
| Number of people associated in any way with the congregations' religious life | ||||
| Mean | 2558 | 2399 | 414 | 395 |
| Median | 750 | 700 | 150 | 150 |
| Number of people regularly participating in the congregation's religious life | ||||
| Mean | 1183 | 1167 | 185 | 184 |
| Median | 400 | 400 | 80 | 75 |
| Number of adults regularly participating in the congregation's religious life | ||||
| Mean | 779 | 794 | 120 | 124 |
| Median | 275 | 280 | 50 | 50 |
| RELIGIOUS TRADITIONc | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Roman Catholic | 28.7 | 28.0 | 6.3 | 5.3 |
| White conservative/evangelical | 33.4 | 37.6 | 46.7 | 48.9 |
| White liberal/mainline | 23.7 | 19.7 | 25.0 | 18.9** |
| African-American Protestant | 10.8 | 11.4 | 16.4 | 23.5** |
| Non-Christian | 3.4 | 3.3 | 5.1 | 3.4 |
| Percent with no denominational affiliation | 10.4 | 14.0* | 19.0 | 21.1 |
| BUILDING AND FINANCE | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Percent owning their own building | 94.9 | 94.9 | 87.7 | 89.7 |
| Percent meeting in a: | ||||
| Church, temple, or mosque | 92.9 | 97.3** | 87.3 | 92.7** |
| School | 3.3 | 0.7** | 5.0 | 1.0** |
| Other kind of building | 3.8 | 1.9* | 7.7 | 6.3 |
| Percent with a formal written budget | 87.7 | 88.8 | 72.8 | 75.3 |
| Median income in past year | $259,500 | $300,000** | $60,000 | $90,000 |
| Median income from individuals in past year | $230,000 | $270,525** | $55,000 | $75,000* |
| Median budget for past year | $250,000 | $280,000** | $60,000 | $86,246 |
| Percent receiving income in the past year from sale or rent of building or property | 37.9 | 30.6** | 23.9 | 21.3 |
| Percent giving money to denomination in the past year | 82.8 | 80.2 | 73.6 | 74.2 |
| Median amount given to denominations in past yeard | $20,783 | $20,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Percent with an endowment, savings account, or reserve fund | 73.9 | 73.3 | 59.8 | 57.3 |
| Median amount in endowment, savings, or reservee | $70,000 | $90,000 | $19,679 | $30,000 |
| Percent using any type of service offered by a denomination, other religious organization, or an outside consultant | 44.1 | 45.3 | 31.2 | 32.8 |
| LEADERSHIP | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Percent with a head clergyperson or leader | 95.5 | 97.0 | 92.3 | 95.0* |
| Percent where head clergyperson or leader is female | 5.6 | 4.7 | 10.7 | 7.9 |
| Percent with head clergyperson or leader of each race or ethnicity: | ||||
| White | 82.2 | 77.6* | 76.0 | 68.1** |
| Black | 12.2 | 13.3 | 19.0 | 25.5* |
| Hispanic | 2.1 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 1.9 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.3 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Other | 2.5 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 3.2* |
| Median year senior clergy person took this position | 1992 | 2000** | 1994 | 2001** |
| Median age of senior clergy person | 51 | 54** | 48 | 53** |
| STAFF | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Percent with no paid stafff | 6.9 | 5.1 | 22.5 | 13.4** |
| Percent with no full-time stafff | 14.6 | 11.5 | 39.3 | 34.6* |
| Percent with 1 full-time staff person | 20.4 | 22.6 | 34.5 | 36.0 |
| Percent with 2 or more full-time staff people | 64.9 | 65.9 | 26.3 | 29.4* |
| Percent with no part-time staff | 17.0 | 16.7 | 41.6 | 34.6** |
| Percent with 1 part-time staff person | 10.0 | 9.7 | 17.3 | 18.4 |
| Percent with 2 or more part-time staff people | 73.1 | 73.6 | 41.1 | 47.0** |
| WORSHIP | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Percent with 1 service in typical week | 14.3 | 14.5 | 26.6 | 28.5 |
| Percent with 2 or more services in typical week | 85.6 | 85.3 | 72.8 | 71.4 |
| Median length of most recent main service (minutes) | 70 | 70 | 75 | 75 |
| Median length of most recent sermon (minutes) | 20 | 20 | 25 | 30* |
| Median number of minutes of music at most recent main service | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Median number of socializing minutes before/after typical service | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Median attendance at most recent main service | 230 | 200 | 70 | 65 |
| Percent of most recent main services with each characteristic: | ||||
| Sermon or speech | 97.1 | 98.0 | 95.3 | 95.4 |
| Singing by congregation | 98.1 | 97.1 | 96.8 | 97.2 |
| Singing by choir | 72.3 | 58.0** | 53.9 | 44.1** |
| Time to greet one another | 84.6 | 86.7 | 78.4 | 80.7 |
| Silent prayer/meditation | 80.6 | 82.3 | 73.3 | 73.8 |
| People saying "amen" | 52.8 | 60.4** | 60.7 | 70.7** |
| Applause | 58.7 | 59.1 | 54.6 | 61.3** |
| Written order of service | 84.2 | 75.4** | 72.0 | 67.8 |
| Visual projection equipment | 14.9 | 32.3** | 11.9 | 26.5** |
| People read or recite something together | 75.1 | 71.2 | 63.7 | 59.4 |
| Jump, shout, or dance spontaneously | 13.1 | 17.2* | 19.2 | 25.8** |
| Raise hands in praise | 48.1 | 55.2** | 44.5 | 56.7** |
| Use drums | 25.1 | 37.4** | 19.6 | 33.5** |
| Percent with the following in any worship in past year: | ||||
| Speak in tongues | 19.5 | 20.7 | 23.9 | 27.0 |
| People told of opportunities for political activity | 36.8 | 29.5** | 26.2 | 21.4** |
| Time for people other than leaders to testify | 72.1 | 78.7** | 77.6 | 85.0** |
| Percent with joint worship service in last year | 66.3 | 56.3** | 66.3 | 69.4 |
| Percent with joint worship in last year with congregation with different racial/ethnic make-up | 30.8 | 25.8* | 28.3 | 28.8 |
| DOCTRINE | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Percent considering Bible to be literal and inerrant | 62.9 | 70.6** | 75.9 | 82.6** |
| Percent saying their congregation would be considered politically: | ||||
| More on the conservative side | 55.2 | 54.1 | 62.0 | 58.1 |
| Right in the middle | 37.0 | 38.7 | 30.7 | 34.6 |
| More on the liberal side | 7.8 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 7.4 |
| Percent saying their congregation would be considered theologically: | ||||
| More on the conservative side | 52.7 | 57.8* | 59.8 | 62.7 |
| Right in the middle | 37.6 | 33.4 | 29.9 | 29.5 |
| More on the liberal side | 9.8 | 8.8 | 10.3 | 7.7* |
| GROUPS AND SPEAKERS | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Percent with religious education classesg | 96.9 | 97.0 | 91.2 | 89.3 |
| Percent with a group in the past year focused on the following: | ||||
| Politics | 12.5 | 15.4 | 6.4 | 6.2 |
| Book discussion | 42.1 | 62.0** | 29.0 | 45.1** |
| Parenting | 61.8 | 62.9 | 39.0 | 39.4 |
| Voter registration | 12.3 | 27.3** | 8.3 | 17.8** |
| English as a second language | 9.0 | 14.2** | 3.6 | 5.8* |
| Practice gifts of spirit | 19.7 | 15.6* | 13.4 | 11.1 |
| Prospective/new member class | 79.7 | 76.6 | 56.2 | 60.2* |
| Class to train new teachers | 67.6 | 65.1 | 38.0 | 39.5 |
| Discuss/learn about another religion | 29.7 | 37.4** | 20.3 | 25.2 |
| Lobbying | 12.0 | 14.5 | 4.4 | 7.9** |
| Demonstrating/attending rallies or marches | 21.5 | 20.2 | 9.2 | 8.3 |
| Assess community needs | 48.2 | 57.1** | 36.8 | 48.4** |
| Percent distributing voter guidesh | 26.4 | 25.6 | 17.0 | 17.2 |
| Percent with an elementary or high school | 23.5 | 20.9 | 6.2 | 4.6 |
| Percent having any visiting speakers in the past year | 89.7 | 86.2* | 83.1 | 81.4 |
| Speaker was: | ||||
| Elected government official | 12.3 | 12.3 | 6.6 | 8.2 |
| Denominational representative | 61.9 | 64.3 | 51.9 | 55.8 |
| Representatives of social service organization | 39.4 | 46.5** | 22.2 | 30.6** |
| Someone running for office | 6.4 | 6.5 | 4.6 | 5.5 |
| SOCIAL SERVICES | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Percent with social service, community development, or neighborhood organizing programs of any sorti | 75.3 | 62.1** | 58.4 | 45.4** |
| Median amount spent on social service programs in the past yearj | $5,000 | $6,004 | $1,229 | $2,000 |
| Percent with anyone on paid staff spending more than 25% of their time on congregation's social service projectsj | 17.5 | 23.3** | 11.9 | 15.0 |
| Percent with anyone from the congregation doing volunteer work for congregation's social service projectsj | 93.7 | 95.3 | 89.7 | 92.8 |
| Median number of congregational volunteers working on congregation's social service projectsj | 25 | 40 | 10 | 15 |
| Percent of those who collaborate with government on social service projectsj | 23.0 | 13.9** | 24.1 | 14.1 |
| Percent with outside funding support for social service programsj | 17.7 | 18.3 | 18.4 | 17.7 |
| Percent with outside funding support from local, state, or federal governmentj | 4.9 | 7.4 | 5.2 | 7.9 |
| Percent with a policy against receiving government support | 14.5 | 17.3 | 16.8 | 16.0 |
| Percent who would apply for government money to support human services programs | 48.0 | 48.9 | 39.3 | 47.2** |
| CONFLICT | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Percent experiencing a conflict within the last two years for which a special meeting was called | 26.6 | 21.3** | 28.7 | 23.6* |
| Percent experiencing a conflict within the last two years that led some people to leave the congregation | 26.4 | 24.7 | 27.0 | 26.4 |
| TECHNOLOGY | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Percent using email to communicate with members | 31.0 | 79.0** | 21.2 | 59.1** |
| Percent with a website | 28.7 | 74.2** | 17.1 | 44.3** |
| SOCIAL COMPOSITION | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Median percent of regular participants living within a ten minute drive | 60 | 70** | 60 | 70** |
| Median percent of regular participants with household income under $25,000/year | 20 | 10** | 30 | 20** |
| Median percent of regular participants with household income higher than $100,000/year | 5 | 10** | 0 | 2** |
| Median percent of regular participants with a college degree | 30 | 40* | 15 | 20* |
| Median percent of regular participants greater than 60 years old | 25 | 30** | 25 | 30** |
| Median percent of regular participants less than 35 years old | 25 | 25 | 25 | 20** |
| Median percent of regular participants who are female | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Median percent of regular participants living in households with two parents and at least one child | 50 | 50 | 40 | 30** |
| Percent of congregations at least 80% white and non-Hispanic | 71.6 | 65.6** | 71.3 | 62.6** |
| Percent of congregations at least 80% black | 12.4 | 12.0 | 17.4 | 23.8** |
| Percent of congregations more than 0% Hispanic | 57.0 | 64.0** | 33.3 | 35.7 |
| Percent of congregations more than 0% Asian or Pacific Islander | 41.0 | 49.7** | 18.2 | 22.6* |
| Percent of congregations with more than 0% immigrated to the U.S. in past five years | 39.4 | 50.6** | 17.9 | 20.4 |
| NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTERISTICS | ATTENDERS' PERSPECTIVEa | CONGREGATIONS' PERSPECTIVEb | ||
| 1998 | 2006-07 | 1998 | 2006-07 | |
| Percent in census tracts with 50% or more adults with some college education | 35.3 | 49.2** | 19.7 | 32.0** |
| Percent in census tracts with at least 30% of individuals below the poverty line | 10.1 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 14.1 |
| Percent in census tracts with at least 5% of individuals immigrating since 1980 | 15.2 | 33.9** | 13.2 | 23.5** |
| Percent in census tracts with at least 5% Hispanics | 29.2 | 39.6** | 25.4 | 28.2 |
| Percent in census tracts with at least 80% African-Americans | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 5.2 |
| Percent in census tracts with at least 5% unemployment | 27.0 | 24.2 | 31.1 | 30.5 |
| Percent in predominantly urban census tracts | 60.9 | 66.8* | 41.8 | 44.1 |
| Percent in predominantly rural census tracts | 23.3 | 17.8* | 43.4 | 32.6** |
aMeans and medians in the "attenders" column refer to the congregation attended by the average attender of religious services. Percentages give the percentage of religious service attenders in congregations with the stated characteristic. The data here are weighted by W3.
bMeans and medians in the "congregations" column refer to the average congregation. Percentages give the percentage of congregations with the stated characteristic. The data here are weighted by W2.
cThe "African-American Protestant" category includes all predominantly African American Protestant churches, whatever their denominational affiliation. Predominantly white Protestant congregations that are unaffiliated with any denomination are included in the conservative/evangelical category unless we have good reason to include them elsewhere.
dCalculated only for the subset of congregations who gave any money to their denominations.
eCalculated only for the subset of congregations with an endowment, savings, or reserve account.
fAlthough respondents were asked in both waves how many people work in the congregation as paid staff, in 2006-07 the question was prefaced with "including you" (if the respondent was an employee), and interviewers were trained in 2006-07 to probe to make sure that informants included themselves. We believe this difference is behind the decrease in the percent of congregations with no paid or full-time staff.
gThe 1998 questionnaire included a single item asking about religious education classes for children, teens, and adults. The 2006-07 questionnaire included five questions asking about classes for different age groups. The 2006-07 numbers reported here are from an aggregation of the 2006-07 responses that is comparable to the 1998 single item.
hIn 1998 respondents were asked if their congregation had ever distributed voter guides; in 2006-07, respondents were asked if their congregation had distributed voter guides within the past two years.
iThe 2007-07 social service results reported in this table are calculated to be comparable to the 1998 results. The overall percent of congregations reporting social service activity is considerably higher when we include responses to the additional probes implemented in the NCS-II. After all probes, 82 percent of congregations, containing 90 percent of attenders, are in congregations doing social services.
jThese numbers are calculated only for the subset of congregations who participated in or sponsored social service activities, and the 2006-07 results are calculated to be comparable to the 1998 results.
