The Love Power Jesus mural is a well-known landmark in Minneapolis. Image courtesy of Google Maps November 8, 2021 By Bob Smietana (RNS) — When the Rev. Janet Gullickson heard that churches would be eligible for Paycheck Protection Program loans at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she sprang into action. Gullickson, pastor of Love

A new study from the Lake Institute on faith and giving found that congregations’ giving was holding up during the pandemic, but barely half had met in person.

Organized religion may be going to the dogs. A study finds a major divide in worship attendance among owners of outgoing canines and more aloof cats.

Religious attendance and congregational involvement may reduce loneliness among millennials, a new study suggests.

A gentle attitude of self-regard may help clergy have greater life satisfaction and be more likely to be inspired and enthusiastic, rather than upset and guilty, about their ministry.

Does longstanding evidence that people become more religious as they age indicate that secularization trends may reverse in rapidly aging societies of high-income countries? The findings of a new study indicate faith may be more compelling as individuals face their own mortality.

The keys to a good night’s sleep include skipping midnight snacks, turning off the computer before bed – and faith. A new wave of research on religion and sleep is finding a close relationship with a caring divinity may help religious individuals enjoy a good night’s rest.

America’s religious communities are failing children with chronic health conditions such as autism, learning disabilities, depression and conduct disorders. And they have been doing it for a very long time, suggests a just-published national study following three waves of the National Survey of Children’s Health.

Both the social networks provided by religious communities and the intrinsic belief of being cared for by a loving divinity appear to protect against loneliness, research indicates. Having a “best friend” in God can make a major difference, researchers in one study noted.

A new study analyzing data from 733 U.S. counties encompassing more than 80 percent of the black population revealed that homicide, robbery, burglary and larceny rates all decreased the more people in the county were active in black Protestant churches. And where it can do the most good, in areas with high rates of poverty and unemployment, the black church is doing the most good, the study found.