The psalmist this Sunday calls on the Lord to "prosper the work of our hands." Faith communities, however, are finding little prosperity from the effects of the economic recession, a new survey said. Hard times are forcing closures of congregations and schools and the downsizing of staff and ministry programs.

"In 2010, I think we're going to see 10 or 15 percent of congregations saying they're in serious financial trouble," said David Roozen, a lead researcher for the Faith Communities Today multi-faith survey, which measures congregational health annually. "With around 320,000 or 350,000 congregations, that's a hell of a lot of them."

Before the stock market tanked a year ago, 19 percent of U.S. congregations described their finances as excellent, down from 31 percent in 2000, according to the poll. Mainline Protestant churches were among the most vulnerable to the downturn.

But Roman Catholic dioceses for years have been struggling with maintaining their aging churches, paying salaries and health insurance, and funding settlements over clergy sex abuse. With the hit to investment income and a drop in donations, they are now freezing salaries and cutting ministries and staff. The Archdiocese of Detroit, at the heart of the economic meltdown, had a $14 million shortfall in the fiscal year that ended in June 2008.

The National Catholic Education Association is still measuring the toll on its schools but expects grim news from the hardest hit states after years of declining enrollment. "Some schools that were on the brink--this whole recession has just intensified that," said Karen Ristau, president of the association.

Religious leaders said the next year or so will be key in determining which organizations survive the downturn intact. Even if the recession ends soon, religious fundraisers said the uncertainty donors feel will not lift immediately, prolonging the difficulties for congregations, schools, and ministries.

Source: An article by Rachel Zoll for the Associated Press