» NYT: Bad Times Draw Bigger Crowds to Churches

Part of the evangelicals' new excitement is rooted in a communal belief that the big Christian revivals of the 19th century, known as the second and third Great Awakenings, were touched off by economic panics. Historians of religion do not buy it, but the notion "has always lived in the lore of evangelism," said Tony Carnes, a sociologist who studies religion.

A study last year may lend some credence to the legend. In "Praying for Recession: The Business Cycle and Protestant Religiosity in the United States," David Beckworth, an assistant professor of economics at Texas State University, looked at long-established trend lines showing the growth of evangelical congregations and the decline of mainline churches and found a more telling detail: During each recession cycle between 1968 and 2004, the rate of growth in evangelical churches jumped by 50 percent. By comparison, mainline Protestant churches continued their decline during recessions, though a bit more slowly.

The little-noticed study began receiving attention from some preachers in September, when the stock market began its free fall. With the swelling attendance they were seeing, and a sense that worldwide calamities come along only once in an evangelist's lifetime, the study has encouraged some to think big.

Interesting. It can be somewhat difficult to guess at Lakewood's attendance by visual inspection since there are some cyclical fluctuations within the year. But the reported numbers in attendance have come down since the first year of moving into the former Compaq Center. Part of that may be the newness factor fading a bit. My own speculative guess was that part of it may also be due to economic circumstances.

Though not a perfect parallel, but some of the podcasts I listen to have pastors mentioning that their budgets are down. It's still possible that attendance may be up and giving is down. But the fact that some churches are reporting notable increases due to the current economic circumstances is worth watching out for down the road.