Church Is More Informal, Like Society, Study Finds

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http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/12/upshot/church-is-becoming-more-informal-just-like-the-rest-of-society.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0

SEPT. 11, 2014

Michael Paulson


A new study found that more American congregations are using drums and raising hands. Credit Monica Almeida/The New York Times

Religious institutions often see themselves as countercultural — outposts in an increasingly secular society that challenge the culture with views and practices that are no longer mainstream.

But inevitably, culture seeps in, affecting how clergy and laypeople dress and pray and behave toward one another.

A new study — the latest version of a regularly conducted survey of American congregations — finds that houses of worship, like the broader culture, are becoming increasingly informal, and increasingly open to gay men and lesbians. More and more Americans worship in congregations where drums are played, words or images are projected on screens, and praise is expressed via upstretched hands. And more and more congregations, although still a minority, allow gays to hold volunteer positions as leaders.

A midweek gathering held this year by Hillsong Church, a Pentecostal megachurch, at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.Megachurch With a Beat Lures a Young FlockSEPT. 9, 2014
“Congregations are embedded in our culture and our society, and they are reflecting both the trends, but also the divisions and the conflicts,” said Mark Chaves, the director of the study and a professor of sociology, religion and divinity at Duke University.

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