Adopted from Romania, she grew up going to a Methodist church, a mainstream Protestant sect. “And as a great conversation starter like, ‘Oh, this tattoo, where did you get it?’ And you just say, ‘Oh, at church.’ ”ĭinkelacker-Swan, who describes herself as “obviously very progressive,” started at Emmanuel UM in June 2019, switching careers after spending seven years as a social worker and dropping out of medical school, where she studied to become forensics. “I feel like you can heal through getting tattoos and sharing our stories,” Dinkelacker-Swan said. Forty percent of those ages 18 to 34 and 36% of those ages 35 to 54 have at least one tattoo, while the same is true for only 16% of those 55-years-old and older. Results of an Ipsos poll published in 2019 showed 30% of Americans have at least one tattoo, an increase from 21% in 2012. As younger people get older, they’re less likely to have the same religious affiliations and fervor of their parents and grandparents.Īt the same time, the number of people with tattoos is increasing.
The decline in church membership, the organization argues, comes from an increase in residents who express no religious preference alongside population change. church membership was at 73% when the polling company first measured it in 1937 and remained near 70% for the next six decades, before beginning a steady decline around the turn of the 21st century. Last year, only 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999, according to results of a Gallup poll released in March. “It’s all about, as a pastor, where our passions are, and how we can reach people in different ways.”įewer people are going to church than ever before. “It’s mainly just us going into the communities, really getting to know everything about the community - you can’t just plant yourself in a community that you know nothing about that you don’t really understand.
“We think that everyone deserves to hear healing and God’s word, and you shouldn’t have to step into a church for that,” she said, explaining it’s part of the Fresh Expressions movement in the church, which aims to get leaders into local businesses with their congregants. Now, the 31-year-old pastor just needs to find a tattoo shop in the city willing to host what she calls a “low-key bible study,” with parishioners getting tattooed and sharing their faith and experiences with God. By taking her work directly to residents, she hopes to meet people where they are, reaching those who would likely never set foot in a traditional church - all while getting some tattoos.