Second in a series.

ELMA - For decades, attending Mass meant a mere three-block trip for Harold and Kathleen Thiele.

The couple could make it down the street and around the corner in minutes to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.

Things changed three years ago, though, when the Rev. Roger Rethamel passed away. Faced with a shortage of clergy, the archdiocese assigned a single priest to oversee a cluster of six parishes in Howard and Chickasaw counties.

Services now rotate among the communities, meaning some weeks the Thieles have a 10-mile trip to worship.

"We've gotten used to driving to other towns, and it's okay with us now," Kathleen Thiele said. "We realize that we have to make it work."

A recent Iowa State University study indicates fewer residents of small towns in Northeast Iowa attend church than a decade ago. Religious leaders said church closings and consolidations are likely a factor.

The study, called "A Decade of Change," surveyed residents of 99 small towns across the state and covered several topics. Similar questionnaires were sent to households in 1994 and 2004.

Of 12 Northeast Iowa small towns included in the study, results in seven showed a significant drop in the percentage of residents who said they attend church services in their hometown. Five towns showed no change.

The most severe decrease came in Dumont, where St. Francis Church closed in 2000. In 1994, 78 percent of residents who responded said they attended worship services in Dumont. In 2004, the figure fell to 52 percent.

"The people by and large have looked at this as difficult and sad, but unavoidable," said the Rev. James Barta, vicar general of the Dubuque archdiocese. "It's like a chronic illness. Somebody is sick a long, long time. When they die, it's still a loss, and there's mourning."

Barta said the number of "envelope holders" - members who contribute money to the church - is holding steady in Northeast Iowa. But the number of available priests is diminishing, and Barta said the church expects the problem to worsen. Other denominations described similar challenges, especially in smaller rural communities.

"It's a constant struggle in a small town, and it's probably getting worse" said Joe Olson, director of the Rural Home Missionary Association, an organization that helps churches find and retain pastors. Finding the right one is even tougher.

"You get young guys out of seminary, and some of them aren't good, or just inexperienced. They use it as a stepping stone. There's a high turnover," Olson said.

Clergy shortages and church closings do not fully explain the survey results. Small towns like Elgin, Wellsburg and Nora Springs, which did not endure closings, also experienced a decline in local worshipers, according to the study.

Changing demographics might also help explain the shift, Olson said. Elderly churchgoers are dying off. Younger generations are more mobile and less committed to specific denominations.

"Just because grandma and grandpa went to this church, that's not a reason to stay," Olson said.

The Rev. Thomas Vos of the First Christian Reformed Church in Wellsburg has seen reduced attendance over the years. He knows some migrated to Orchard Hill Church in Cedar Falls.

"They had a contemporary flair before other churches did," Vos said.

Seeing the interest in less traditional services, First Christian Reformed Church has worked to blend the old and new. Once a month, for example, the congregation's young adults lead the service.

"Their music is a little more fast paced and loud - the drums are banging away," Vos said. "On the whole, that's gathered a positive response."

The survey results might not reflect positively on church attendance, but they're also far from dire.

"Rural towns have traditionally been highly churched areas, so we're probably becoming more typical of suburban and urban areas," Vos said. "It's still a very high percent of people attending church."

Contact Dan Haugen at (319) 291-1565 or dan.haugen@wcfcourier.com.