Friday, Lafayette, Indiana

A newly released study confirms previous research, but offers an interesting surprise. Professors Troy Blanchard of Louisiana State University and John Bartkowski of University of Texas led a research team that studied communities with large churches which are actively involved with the local people. And the findings showed that the people lived longer.

While there have been other studies that have made the association between church attendance and longer life, one curious aspect of this research demonstrated that the kind of churches involved made a difference. Specifically, it pointed to congregations that have strong community outreach in the local neighborhood made a more significant difference than those churches that were insulated and disengaged from the surrounding community.

As the authors pointed out, the strongest effect on longevity was with "… churches (that) have what’s known as a ‘worldly perspective.’ (rather than those) “solely focusing on the afterlife.”  Congregations that emphasize connection and engagement have a more significant, positive impact on their community than those that isolate and separate their members from the immediate world around them.

Dr. Glenn Sparks and I see this study as yet another ion a long line of social science research that supports the thesis of Refrigerator Rights. This research affirms yet again the positive outcomes on health and quality of life when people find ways to attach, engage and foster relationships with those around them, beyond their immediate family. Social isolation in any form leads to a host of personal problems, both emotional and physical. We have long believed that the triage for our highly stressed culture is connection to more people around us.

Hope you have refrigerator rights relationships for yourself.

Signs that your church is isolated from the community:

- Worship is held Tuesday nights beginning at one o’clock in the morning

- Members can only travel in groups of fifteen at all times

- The building has no windows

- To avoid mingling with non members, the church maintains its own grocery store

- All writing implements must be surrendered upon entering for the service

- Every member is required to wear long robes with hoods

- All member children go to school inside the building

- Members must submit a names and phone numbers of every neighbor that doesn’t belong to the congregation

- The church has an unlisted phone number

- The pastor and family live in the basement of the church building