Religious Groups Fared Better Than Other Charities in Recession

As many charities suffered a decline of 10 percent or more in annual giving, donations to religious organizations fared relatively well from 2007 to 2009, according to a new study released on Tuesday by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

Charitable contributions declined by just 0.1 percent among 1,148 religious organizations whose financial statements were examined by the council. Sharper decreases have been found in other surveys