A recent study has found an interesting correlation between crime and the neigbourhood of evangelical churches. Not Catholic, other non-protestant, or even black protestant or mainstream protestant. "it’s evangelical Protestants (aka ‘fundamentalists’) that show the strongest connection". "This is just a statistical association. So it could simply be that these churches set up shop in those areas with highest need – with the highest crime rates. But remember that this association remains even after controlling for all those factors I mentioned above. These churches are located in areas that have more crime than you would expect, given the level of deprivation and other factors that predispose to crime." Among the possible reasons, they postulate "It could be that these evangelical churches actually increase crime rates as a direct result of their teachings (i.e. dualistic, ‘heaven and hell’ religious concepts)" Source here
The evangelicals have this sinister way of preying on the destitute even more than the rest of them. It just so happens that the people who evangelicals target - the weak minded, ill educated simpletons - are the same types who get drawn in to a life of crime.
When we try to make some bad guys good, that is we increasing crime rates? LOL! We wont goto the good ones and preach, because "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."
Maybe it just happened that the churches are built/located in the areas with high crime rate even before the churches were established. Crimes are everywhere, so to conclude that the church is a factor that can increase the rate of crime will be irresponsible.