“What’s the halo effect? It’s a term coined by secular researchers at the University of Pennsylvania who questioned how to put a price tag on the investment that local congregations generate for the public good. They found that 12 Philadelphia congregations contributed $52-million in annual economic value to the city. More consumers put money directly into the economy, buying goods and services locally as weddings and funerals made the cash registers ring. Education and social services were part of the payoff, with programs for children, parents and the elderly. The office space that churches provide for non-profits, counsellors and charities also had an economic spinoff. So, too, did personal impact . . . .”

Read the whole column, “Cities should give thanks for churches’ halo effect,” by Lorna Dueck, from The [Toronto] Globe and Mail, here.