July 14, 2012 from SFGate
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Sarah Koscielniak of St. Paul might worship in an Ethiopian church one Sunday and a Lutheran church the next. She’s part of a growing national trend – she’s a “church hopper.”
The 22-year-old says she enjoys sampling different worship styles and connecting with people she otherwise would never have met.
Scott Thumma is with the Hartford Institute for Religious Research in Connecticut. He says evangelical Christians tend to be particularly active church hoppers, but mainline Protestants and Catholics do so as well.
A Minneapolis Star Tribune report (http://bit.ly/SqSXLU ) says a number of pastors are concerned by the trend.
The Rev. Henry Williams is the pastor at Five Oaks Community Church in Woodbury. He says it’s more challenging to build relationships with people who split their time between multiple churches.
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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com
