News
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Virtual Church Community Offers Deeper Connection During & After Pandemic
By Colleen Hill I Hartford Institute for Religion Research When COVID-19 hit, churches nationwide pivoted to virtual worship. For Brian Clark and his family, this digital transformation revealed unexpected spiritual opportunities. With the pandemic, the Clarks found themselves drawn to Woodla
Thursday, February 27, 2025
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Online Worshippers
When the pandemic began, the church I was serving in Austin was not equipped for livestreaming worship services. Indeed, that first Sunday during which we cancelled in-person worship (March 15, 2020), our senior pastor — who was supposed to preach — also called in sick! I quickly put a sermon t
Monday, February 24, 2025
From Burnout to Breakthrough: A Pastor’s Unexpected Second Calling
By Colleen Hill I Hartford Institute for Religion Research After four years of ministry at Hampstead Congregational Church, Rev. Kathy Youzwak started feeling the burnout and made the difficult decision to step down in November 2023. The weight of shepherding an entire congregation through the
Saturday, February 22, 2025
Parish Finds Strength, Growth Through Pandemic Innovation
On March 12, 2020, I made one of the most peculiar decisions of my priesthood – I canceled the conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation on 123 eager teenagers. All the usual preparations were in place for our annual massive and very joyful community celebration.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Video: Saved by Sandwiches: A Church’s Story
When the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 closed the physical doors of New Dover United Methodist Church in Edison, New Jersey, the congregants turned to their sandwich donation ministry, Bread Breakers, to keep their community and spirit of service alive. Now, 5 years later, the ministry has made conn
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Politics in the Pews? Analyzing Congregational Political Engagement
New research reveals most congregations avoid overt political activity, challenging popular assumptions about church political engagement. Study finds subtle influence through values-based messaging rather than direct political action
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Saved by Sandwiches? How One New Jersey Church Successfully Emerged from the Pandemic
A reflective article exploring how a United Methodist church in New Jersey emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic with renewed strength and purpose, driven by a new food ministry that connected the congregation to its community in meaningful ways.
Friday, October 25, 2024
VIDEO: Digital Devotion- The New Norm in Religious Practice
In 2020, the outbreak of The COVID-19 pandemic forced thousands of faith communities to face an unprecedented challenge: either go digital or close entirely. As a result, clergy had to quickly adapt to this new reality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKG68EEGHuA Digital Church Sunshine
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Clergy Report Surprising Financial Optimism, But Experts Caution About Hidden Struggles
By Tracy Simmons Faith leaders are reporting a surprisingly positive outlook on their personal finances, with a new study revealing that they rate their financial health significantly higher than the general public. According to a fall 2024 study, titled, “Finances and Faith: A Lo