The fabric of a community is woven together out of many strands. But one of the most important is the church. That was my thought after reading a Christianity Today Gleanings report that said that Americans are far more connected to their church than any other institution. The report was discussing the latest findings from a Rasmussen survey.
We know how high the federal government rates in recent polls. A total of nine different governmental and non-governmental institutions were rated in this survey. Nothing else came close to the local church.
This may be news to pastors and other church leaders, who see people come and go and may underestimate the connection. The church is about more than changed lives, as important as that can be. The church can impact a community.
For political leaders, the separation of church and state is always a touchy issue. But encouraging churches to do what they do best seems like a prudent course of action to bring about broader community improvements. There’s a lot of unexplored territory here.