From Philadelphia-
What is the dollar value of a marriage saved? A suicide averted? An addiction conquered? A teenager taught right from wrong?
In short: What is a church's economic worth to the community it serves?
Last summer, a University of Pennsylvania professor and a national secular research group based in Center City took up that seemingly unanswerable question. With a list they devised of 54 value categories, they attempted to calculate the economic "halo effect" of a dozen religious congregations in Philadelphia - 10 Protestant churches, a Catholic parish, and a synagogue.
They added up the money generated by weddings and funerals, festivals, counseling programs, preschools, elder care. 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.
More here-
http://articles.philly.com/2011-02-01/news/27092987_1_partners-for-sacred-places-congregations-churches
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