During my decades on the religion-news beat, I have had conversations with editors about this fact of journalism life in lots of zip codes: Readers who are active in religious congregations tend to be interested in reading news about nuts-and-bolts issues linked to what happens in pews, pulpits, worship, music, religious education, etc.
The problem, of course, is that the vast majority of secular journalists — editors, for example — are not interested in these topics. They don’t “get” why stories that are really, really about religion (as opposed to religion and politics) matter all that much.
As an editor in Charlotte once told me (while discussing a seismic event in Southern Baptist Convention life that created a firestorm among readers): “Nobody reads this stuff but fanatics and every time you write about it we get too many letters to the editor.”
This brings us to a Christianity Today headline — pushed with a clever tweet by Daniel Silliman — that I thought deserved “think piece” status this week: “6 Reasons Bedside Baptist and Church of the Holy Comforter Are So Popular.”
Alas, that story will, for most GetReligion readers, be locked behind a paywall. However, the original Lifeway Research essay by Aaron Earls was also posted at the Baptist Press website. Here is the gently snarky overture:
Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church, but sleet and hail will keep many churchgoers out of the pew on a Sunday. In fact, some may even skip to get a little extra sleep or watch their favorite team.
A Lifeway Research study of U.S. adults who attend a religious service at a Protestant or non-denominational church at least monthly finds several reasons some will miss church at least once a year.
Respondents were asked how often they would skip a weekly worship service for six different scenarios – to avoid severe weather, to enjoy an outdoor activity in good weather, to get extra sleep, to meet friends, to avoid traveling when it’s raining or to watch sports.
One in 10 Protestant churchgoers (11 percent) say they would never skip for any of these reasons.
Trust me: A nicely written headline about this information — located on the front page of a heartland newspaper — would draw lots of response.
The bottom line, delivered by Scott McConnell, Lifeway’s executive director: Most church-friendly Americans have a buffet of weekend choices. Going to church is one of them. Thus:
Most regular churchgoers say they would miss a weekly worship service at least once a year to avoid traveling in severe weather (77 percent), to enjoy an outdoor activity (55 percent) or to get some extra sleep (54 percent). Half (50 percent) would do so to meet a friend or group of friends. Fewer say they’d skip not to have to travel when it was raining (43 percent) or to watch a sporting event or their favorite team (42 percent).
“Sometimes churchgoers conclude it’s safer to skip church and not be on the roads,” McConnell said. “But many will also skip church if they feel they have a better option.”
More than 3 in 4 churchgoers (77 percent) would skip church if there were snow, ice, a tornado watch or other severe weather, including 23 percent who would do so once a year, 39 percent a few times a year and 15 percent many times a year. Almost a quarter (23 percent) say they would never intentionally miss a worship service for this.
Tornado warnings? OK, I get that since I grew up near the Texas-Oklahoma border. Hurricanes? Of course, since I have lived in South Florida and on the Texas Gulf Coast.
But read this next paragraph and strive not to chuckle:
More than half (54 percent) of churchgoers say they’d miss church to stay in bed a little longer, including 10 percent who say they would skip once a year to get some extra sleep, 26 percent a few times a year and 18 percent many times a year. Sleep is never a reason to miss for 46 percent of U.S. churchgoers.
Yes, we live in a bitterly divided culture.
Read it all. Editors should consider assigning a reporter to do a localized take on this one.