United States | Sunday slump

The virus is accelerating dechurching in America

When it comes to organised religion, the US is looking less and less exceptional

|WASHINGTON, DC

LIVING IN THE shadow of Disney’s Magic Kingdom has mostly been a happy experience for Community Presbyterian church in Celebration, Orlando. Its handsome white building, with storybook steeple, was part-funded by a pious niece of Walt. The nearby theme parks have supplied the church with many of its 800-odd members as well as a steady stream of visitors—in the winter, when tourists flock to Florida, the congregation often swells to 1,500. But when Walt Disney World closed in mid-March and the church did too, its fortunes took a dive.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “The Sunday slump”

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