How can religious institutions stay relevant when their neighborhoods and demographics are changing?

How can religious institutions stay relevant when their neighborhoods and demographics are changing?
How can religious institutions stay relevant when their neighborhoods and demographics are changing?

How can religious institutions stay relevant when their neighborhoods and demographics are changing?

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We’ve seen a lot of studies about more people identifying themselves as spiritual, but not religious, and that the number of the so-called “unchurched” are growing. In our continuing look at how religious institutions can remain relevant, we wondered what happens when that church is in a changing neighborhood? Two pastors with the United Methodist Church, but in different neighborhoods with very different populations, talk about the changes they’ve seen in their congregation. Photo: Flickr/DrabikPany