The research is pretty clear. Some churches are up, some down and some about the same. Generally, the economy is not the main issue. Sure, there are some areas that have been severely impacted by the effects of the economy the last 16-18 months. However, even in a city as hard hit as Detroit, I am aware of a couple of major churches that have fared well. One of them told me they are down 3% in offerings while down 8% in attendance. If my simple math is correct, that would probably be a net increase in giving on the smaller number of people. Nothing is wrong at the church, people are just leaving Detroit because they think they have a better chance starting over somewhere else.