Ensign Lecture: An Endemic Church: Exploring its Perils and Possibilities

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on faith communities and on the practice of religion, but what exactly is its impact for the future? What are the implications for attendance, giving, congregational life, and religious leadership? Which of these changes are simply amplifications of existing trends and which might offer new avenues for ministry? This presentation will explore patterns within the first three surveys of a five-year project Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations (www.covidreligionresearch.org) and speculate on the future trends for churches and the practice of religious life.
Dr. Scott Thumma is Professor of Sociology of Religion and director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University. He has published numerous research reports, website documents, articles, and chapters on religious life in addition to co-authoring three books, The Other 80 Percent, Beyond Megachurch Myths and Gay Religion. He has researched and written on megachurches, evangelicalism, gay religious life, the rise of nondenominationalism, and the changing religious landscape.