American Church Life Series: Click | View Series
Continued from: Part 2

Outreach and Service

• There is a tremendous amount of outreach and service available through congregations. Almost all congregations offer some support for congregants in need.
• 94 percent of congregations have a social service ministry; 84 percent have an educational or counseling ministry; and 78 percent have an evangelistic or religious outreach ministry.
• 44 percent of congregations reported mission and service trips, 32 percent offer prison ministry, 30 percent offer street evangelism, and 22 percent provide college campus ministry.
• 81 percent of congregations help others through food pantries or soup kitchens, 73 percent through cash assistance for the less fortunate, 68 percent through clothing donations, 43 percent through assistance for seniors, 43 percent through service trips to poor communities, and 40 percent through home repair for those in need.

Of particular interest was overseas giving and missions work by congregations. Here are some preliminary results from that effort:

• In 2006, about 56 percent of congregations gave money to U.S.-based organizations providing relief and development overseas. 33 percent gave donations directly to programs or organizations in foreign countries, and 35 percent reported that people from their congregation went on short-term mission or service trips overseas. About half of congregations supported other types of mission trips or missionaries overseas.
• Congregations gave about $7 billion in 2006 to support the needy in foreign countries. About $3.8 billion of this amount went directly to overseas causes.

The NDCS reports, "This is the first information that has been available on overseas giving by US congregations. Until now, no one knew the extent and shape of the overseas work by U.S. congregations. We will be looking more closely at these data to better understand congregational overseas ministry, and will send reports to you as these are available."

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