What's The Value Of A Church?

In December I posted pictures of the nine churches that call Parkesburg home.

Beginning with the Bethany A.M.E. church on Green Street and ending with the Church of the Open Bible on East Main Street, the lists the name and address of the church and, when available, the name of the pastor/reverend/priest as well as the church's web site.

Why take up the time and the space to document Parkesburg's spiritual side?  Because our nine churches (and the half dozen or so just outside our borders) contribute significantly to our towns charity, well being and character.

Now from the University of Pennsylvania comes a study documenting the economic impact a single church has on a community.

According to an article in the Inquirer this morning, "the study added up the money generated by weddings and funerals, festivals, counseling programs, preschools, elder care of a dozen Philadelphia churches. They tallied the salaries of staff and the wages of roofers, plumbers, even snow shovelers. They put dollar signs on intangibles, too, such as helping people find work and teaching children to be socially responsible.  They even measured the diameter of trees on church campuses."

The grand total of the economic benefit derived from the 12 congregations?  A cool $50 million dollars.

I seriously doubt Parkesburg's 9 churches generate anywhere near that amount.

However, the study gives us yet another reason to appreciate the spiritual, cultural, and now economic contribution each of these congregations make to our town.