If you’re counting people, there are approximately 14,814 people living in LaSalle Parish as per the latest census count. If you’re counting churches, data indicates there are fifty-six congregations that gather in worship services on a weekly basis with 63% of the parish population attending a house of worship faithfully.

In fact, LaSalle Parish has been listed number seven on a compilation of ten of the most religious parishes in the State of Louisiana, with West Carroll Parish being number one and St. Martin Parish being number ten. That’s impressive for believers when you consider that Louisiana is ranked number one as the most religious state in the USA. Furthermore, while there is a national decrease in church attendance, Louisiana’s percentage of church attendance has increased in the last ten years.

Most church congregations in Louisiana and in the USA are small with memberships consisting of 50 to 100 members, with the attendance for an average small church service being closer to 50 people. In 2020, 45% or churches fell into this category. Since COVID in 2020, that percentage grew to 65%. The number of small congregation churches is growing faster than the number of large congregation churches.

As local church attendees can attest, research links regular church worship and gatherings to lower rates of depression, among other health benefits. There have been several studies indicating that attending the house of God on a regular basis or being a part of a religious community is good for your mental health. Those who attend less frequently, seldom, or never report more mental health issues than those who do. Research further supports that higher levels of religiosity are associated with lower rates of depression, anxiety, substance use disorder and suicidal behavior.

Like everything else in America, churches – including local churches – were hard hit when COVID made its debut in 2020. Some states banned congregational and public gatherings and others, including Louisiana, limited services. Thirty-five percent of churches reported a decline of 25 % or more in attendance while 15 % of churches reported a relatively stable attendance. Through necessity, worship services of various faiths were cancelled, Sunday schools were absent and ceremonies were non-existent.

Three years later, the effects of COVID on churches and on church attendance are still a factor. Many churches are experiencing lower attendance as compared to pre-pandemic years and some church goers are finding it difficult to reestablish good church attendance habits. Online church has replaced in-house worship for some, and the greatest effect has been reported to be among young adults, unmarried adults and people who identify as being politically liberal.

Some LaSalle Parish churches, as an off set of COVID, have restricted services, dismissing Sunday night gatherings while expanding Sunday morning services or restructured midweek services to fit the needs of members. Online services initiated during COVID have continued as a tool for those who cannot physically attend.

But all the news isn’t dismal. While COVID and changing cultural mindsets have impacted the modern definition of ‘church,’ congregations and pastoral staffs have met the challenge, as evidenced by the growth in the number of church congregations, albeit the memberships are now smaller when compared to the explosion of pre-COVID mega-congregations. Statistics reveal that people in small congregations give more in offerings per capita than those in larger congregations. Participation percentages are also greater in smaller congregations.

“Most churches don’t grow by bringing in new people but by keeping their young people in their tradition as adults,” said Ryan Burge, ordained Baptist minister and assistant professor of Political Science at Eastern Illinois University.

Small local sanctuaries and their members are working to do just that. In a day when faith among millennials is declining, local church members are forging ties for their children to churches by taking them to church and worship services and teaching them the importance of church and God. Those children are most likely to grow up with church beliefs and take their children to church, therefore increasing the chances that they too will continue in their faith.

The benefits of church attendance are astounding as per research shows: better mental health, less substance abuse, positive outcomes among youth and emotional stability for families. Most of all, church attendance provides the opportunity to engage in fellowship with a like body of believers and to forge a faithful relationship with God.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching,” Hebrews 10:25 admonishes.

Local church congregations may be small and seemingly insignificant in a sea of modern beliefs and philosophies, but the God of said congregations has not diminished in power or purpose. The benefits of practicing one’s faith are both positive and rewarding. Small churches – big God; that’s the reality of faith and faithful church members. While some count success in numbers, others understand that authentic success lies in passing their beliefs and faith to the next generation through example and faithfulness to their local church congregations and Christian beliefs.