WASHINGTON — Nearly a year after a painful break from his Chicago church, President Obama and his family are considering several churches of various denominations in the nation's capital but have yet to settle on one, and aides said that they're unlikely to decide before Easter.

The delay reflects how the economic crisis has crowded out some personal considerations since Obama's inauguration in January, but it also underscores the complexities of this personal decision by a public man.

Past presidents have grappled with how and where to worship, but Obama's pick is especially guaranteed to provoke interest and scrutiny.

Controversial sermons on institutional racism and American foreign policy by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, imperiled Obama's presidential campaign last year and finally forced Obama's break with Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Even as the church controversy roiled, a small percentage of Americans continued to believe falsely that Obama was Muslim because of his late, estranged Kenyan father and his childhood in Indonesia.

As America's first black president, Obama faces another unique conundrum: whether to join a historically black church.

Then there are standard logistical concerns: What churches could accommodate frequent presidential visits without seriously disrupting the existing congregation's ability to attend services? Which can the Secret Service best secure? Which routes work well for a motorcade?

Of those churches that best fit the Obamas culturally — ideologically and in terms of community service — which have the best youth programs for children Sasha and Malia?

"The Obamas are committed Christians, and they are certainly looking forward to a place to worship in their time in Washington," said Joshua DuBois, the director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and one of a handful of aides assisting the family's search. "What has become clear is that it's no easy task."

DuBois would not say which churches or exactly how many the Obamas are seriously considering. He said that multiple denominations are being considered, as are historically black and mixed-race congregations.

The Obamas and a tight group of friends and advisers are vetting churches, but White House aides would not discuss what the vetting process involves.

The consensus among several area pastors, religion professors and community organizers who were interviewed is that about a dozen churches in Northwest Washington are probably contenders.

Among the churches mentioned most often:

• Two prominent black congregations with long histories, Metropolitan AME and the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church. Black power brokers including Vernon Jordan belong to Metropolitan.

• People's Congregational United Church of Christ. It's a predominantly black congregation of the same denomination as Obama's former church.

• Calvary Baptist, a smaller church led by a pastor who grew up in Obama's birthplace, Hawai'i.