Minnesota Churches Are In Steep Decline: Report

The oldest Christian denominations in Minnesota are seeing historically-large declines in church attendance, causing a seismic shift in communities across the state, according to a new report.

The Mainline Protestant churches are emptying the fastest, according to the Star Tribune.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has nearly 200,000 fewer members in Minnesota than it did in 2000. It's lost around 150 churches. More than 1,000 of the churches still in existence have fewer than 50 members.

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Methodists and Presbyterian churches are seeing similar declines. And while the number of Catholics in Minnesota remains steady, around 80 churches have closed since 2000.

The declines aren't specific to one part of the state; rural, suburban, and urban church communities have all seen steep drops in participation.

Read much more at the Star Tribune.

Photo by James Potter/Patch