For many the holiday season is a time to reflect, be charitable and make a biannual visit to their local church. But in-between Christmas and Easter, some southern Wisconsin church leaders are scratching their heads with the question, where did everyone go?
National surveys continually show a decline in church attendance across the country — a fact that Bill Kapp, pastor at First United Church of Christ in Sauk City, said began in the late 1960s and “has been on a decline ever since.” Noting that demographics play a significant role, Kapp said it’s much more difficult for an isolated town near the Illinois border to get new members than a town like Sauk City, which is close to Madison and has people moving in on a consistent basis.