Food and friends strengthen link to god

There is a direct link between human friendships and spiritual maturity, concludes a study commissioned by Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, Colo., and conducted by the Gallup Organization. Research shows that people with close friendships in their church have a strong relationship with God, are very satisfied with their congregation, and are less likely to leave their place of worship.

"Church members who have a best friend at church are 21% more likely to report attending church at least once a week and 26% more likely to report having a strong, more active faith in God," says Michael D. Lindsay, sociology research affiliate at Princeton (N.J.) University. "Respondents who had a best friend at church were also more likely to say their faith is involved in every aspect of their lives and that they have a close friendship with God."

The research also connects faith and food, as 77% of highly satisfied members have eaten a meal with people in their congregation (who are not members of their family) at some point over the last year; and 56% of somewhat satisfied or dissatisfied members have shared a meal together. Moreover, 62% of those who eat meals together report spending time in prayer and worship daily compared to 49% who have not eaten meals with other church members.

Other findings include:

* Eighty-four percent of respondents who are very satisfied with their church say the leaders care for them as individuals. That figure drops to 36% among those only somewhat satisfied.

* Church members who have church friendships which extend beyond weekly worship services are 26% more likely to believe that their colleagues, friends, and neighbors would say that they, the church members, love God.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group