In the News ... "State of Religion, Pt 1: Area pastors say church attendance in Midland still going strong"

State of Religion, Pt 1: Area pastors say church attendance in Midland still going strong

By Sarah Higgins, Midland Reporter-Telegram

MIDLAND, TEXAS -Pastors of local churches are reporting slow and steady growth over the past few years, as overall religious affiliation among adults has declined in the United States.

The percentage of American adults who self-identify as Christians declined from 86 percent in 1990 to 76 percent in 2008, according to American Religious Identify Survey data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. One out of five Americans failed to indicate affiliation with any religion in the 2008 survey. Those who did not claim any religion, or were atheist or agnostic, grew -- though at a slower pace than during the 1990s -- from 8.2 percent of the American adult population in 1990 to 14.1 percent in 2001, and 15 percent in 2008.

"Midland's a sort of bubble in lots of ways, but we're not immune to that, either," said the Rev. Steve Schorr of First Presbyterian Church.

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