In recent years a growing chorus, led by Robert Putnam in Bowling Alone, has bemoaned the decline of civic engagement in the United States. Among his many detailed examples is the long-term drop in church participation, a trend all too familiar to Presbyterians. But of the 2.5 million of us who remain, involvement in church and community seems alive and well, as results from the May 2001 Presbyterian Panel survey show.
Church. Presbyterians attend worship regularly: three of four usually attend worship at least weekly, and only 7 percent attend less than once a month. Moreover, 51 percent participate in church school, Bible study, or other groups.
More than two-thirds of members hold one or more leadership roles in their congregations, including 27 percent who serve on a congregational committee, 19 percent who are choir members or musicians, 12 percent who teach church school, and 14 percent who lead a men's, women's, youth, or other small group.
Community Outreach. A large minority of members participate in the community outreach of congregations, including 29 percent who are involved in "community service, social justice, or advocacy activities," and 22 percent in evangelism activities. An overlapping 48 percent take part in community service not connected with their congregations. This total includes 43 percent involved in "social service or charity groups" and 10 percent in "advocacy, justice, or lobbying groups."
In terms of specific activities, 20 percent of members provide unpaid volunteer work for organizations that provide "social welfare services for elderly, handicapped, or deprived people." And 7 percent volunteer time to community action groups concerned with such issues as "poverty, employment, housing, or racial equality."
Voluntary Organizations. Participation is also widespread in other types of voluntary groups. A third of members (32 percent) donate time to organizations concerned with "education, arts, music, or cultural activities." Rates of volunteer work in other types of groups are shown in the figure.
*=Percentages shown are for women only.
Have rates of civic engagement among Presbyterians declined? Probably not, at least based on comparisons with results from similar questions asked in 1987. For example, fourteen years ago, 14 percent of members reported being active in Scouts and other youth work, the same figure found this year. Similarly, the earlier survey found that 29 percent belonged to professional associations, scarcely different from the 31 percent of 2001.
In sum, broader civic engagement is alive and well among Presbyterians. Still, even though our rate of participation remains steady, because the number of Presbyterians continues to drop by 1 percent every year there are fewer and fewer Presbyterians active in volunteer work. We've long known that our future as a church depends on convincing people content to "worship alone" that there is value in being part of the gathered community. Maybe we need to consider that the future of civil society also turns on that message.
Email the author: Jack Marcum
Research Services