For many Americans, autumn is a time for trying new churches

When welcoming church shoppers, congregations find wish lists that span the spiritual spectrum. On one end is Stan Lemon, and others like him, who are searching to find a place they consider faithful to God and scripture. Disappointment has become routine, he says, recalling one church that began services with the Pledge of Allegiance and another where the pastor lacked "reverence" for the Eucharist.

"I'm looking for a congregation that teaches and proclaims the gospel and administers the sacraments in the most God-pleasing manner," Mr. Lemon says. "That has been a difficult task."

A thousand miles away in Amesbury, Mass., Sandy Manley is resolving to attend Unitarian services more frequently this year with her husband, Bud, and their three young children. But, she says, she's keeping her options open.

"I still am looking for a congregation that either is inspiring or has families and people I'd like to hang around, people I'd want to talk to," Ms. Manley said. In shopping around, though, she's been disappointed to find so many empty pews.

The Rev. John Dennis has seen many sides of church shopping, having lived in Philadelphia before relocating 30 years ago to Oregon, where he now serves as senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Corvallis. Serving in one of the least religious towns in the nation's least religious state, he says, means accepting church-shopping - as well as competition with soccer leagues and other Sunday diversions - as a way of life. "People here are more independent and questioning by far," Mr. Dennis said. "We have to fight for our people in Oregon. They don't just come in the door like they did in Philadelphia."

If church-shopping began out West, however, it isn't confined there anymore. In the most recent comprehensive snapshot of US religious practices, the US Congregational Life Survey found that nearly 1 in 4 church attendees had switched congregations in the past five years. Of those newcomers, just 7 percent had no prior involvement with a faith community, which might confirm another of Jones's concerns: that people are leaving churches in times of conflict, and those who welcome shoppers aren't encouraging them to reconcile.

"I would teach my students to encourage church-shopping by unchurched people," Jones said. Those fleeing conflict, he says, should be encouraged not to shop but to go back because "that's what's best for the individual, to work it through, but this doesn't happen as much as it should."

Areas most experienced with church-shopping say that over time their congregations have become niche players that specialize in serving particular segments of the religious community.

First Presbyterian of Corvallis, for instance, attracts music lovers who know the choir's international reputation, as well as activist types who support the congregation's campaign to eradicate Cambodian land mines. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Holy Innocents Episcopal Church caters to young families by advertising its children's program, known as "Godly Play."

For all the market forces at work, however, some churches still cooperate by sharing their inactive-member lists.

"They're saying to the other churches in town, 'Go get 'em,' " Dr. Hunter says.

Page: 1 | 2