Most of his worshippers, though devoted, were in their 60s, attendance had bottomed out, and the once-vibrant church was fading as a community touchstone
Eggebeen came up with a hair-raising idea: He would turn God’s house into a doghouse, offering a 30-minute service with doggie beds, canine prayers and an offering of dog treats. He hopes it will reinvigorate the church’s connection with the community, provide solace to elderly members and attract new worshippers.
Before the recent first Canines at Covenant service, Eggebeen said many Christians love their pets as much as human family members and grieve just as deeply when they suffer, but churches have been slow to recognize that love as the work of God.
"The Bible says of God only two things in terms of an ‘is’: that God is light and God is love. And wherever there’s love, there’s God in some fashion,” said Eggebeen, a dog lover. "And when we love a dog and a dog loves us, that’s a part of God, and God is a part of that. So we honor that.”
The weekly service at Covenant is part of a trend among churches nationwide to address the spirituality of pets and the deep bonds owners form with their pets.
Traditionally, conventional Christians believe only humans have redeemable souls, said Laura Hobgood-Oster, a religion professor at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. But a growing number of congregations are challenging that assertion with regular pet blessings and pet-centric services, said Hobgood-Oster, who studies the role of animals in Christian tradition.
She recently did a survey that found more than 500 blessings for animals at churches nationwide and has heard of a half-dozen congregations holding worship services such as Eggebeen’s.
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