The vast majority of U.S. Protestant churches have resumed in-person services, yet congregation sizes have not reached pre-pandemic levels. This trend indicates a significant gap in post-pandemic attendance recovery across the country.
According to the latest survey from Nashville-based Lifeway Research, 87% of Protestant pastors in the U.S. reported that their churches met in person this September, while 13% opted not to hold physical gatherings.
Lifeway Research has tracked the impact of COVID-19 on ministry since March. While few congregations met physically in April, most resumed services by May; by July, more than 7 in 10 pastors confirmed they were meeting in person, establishing a clear path for returning post-pandemic church attendees.
“More and more churches across the U.S. have found ways to meet again, but things are not back to normal,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “The impact of regulations, caution and hardships mean more than 1 in 10 churches are still not meeting in person for any type of worship service. Churches are living organisms, and when more than a third of their members are missing, they are not whole.”
A majority of African American Protestant pastors (60%) say their congregations did not meet in person last month.
Mainline pastors (31%) are more likely than evangelical pastors (7%) to say they did not physically gather in September. Denominationally, Methodists (22%) and Presbyterian/Reformed (23%) are more likely to say they did not meet in person than Lutherans (12%), pastors in the Restorationist movement (10%) or Baptists (9%).
PANDEMIC ATTENDANCE
Social distancing may be easier in churches, as most pastors say their congregation has less than 70% of their pre-COVID crowds.
One in 10 churches (9%) say their attendance in September was less than 30% of what it was in February before the pandemic spread to the U.S. Another 20% say attendance was between 30% and less than 50% of what it was.
A third of pastors (34%) say it has reached 50% to less than 70% of previous levels. For 1 in 5 (21%) attendance is between 70% to less than 90%. Few pastors say attendance is close to what it was earlier in the year. One in 10 pastors (11%) say September’s attendance was 90% to 100% of February’s, while 4% say their current attendance is more than what it was pre-COVID.
“In most churches, there is definitely room to spread out,” said McConnell. “It would not be surprising for 30% or more of a congregation to be in a ‘high-risk’ group needing to continue to take precautions. Since some at-risk members are attending, it only highlights further that there are also churchgoers who have resumed other activities without returning to church.”
Prior to the pandemic, 45% of pastors say their typical weekend worship service attendance was less than 100. Now, almost 3 in 4 pastors (72%) find themselves with a worship service crowd below triple digits.
In February, 20% of Protestant churches had crowds topping 250 people. In September, only 6% drew attendance levels that high.
Pastors of churches that were drawing more than 250 in February are the most likely to say their current attendance is less than 30% of what it was earlier this year.
“Since many large churches are not used to functioning with so few people, they may need to reconnect with small churches in their area for ideas. Churches of all sizes have much more in common this year and likely can be learning from each other,” said McConnell.
LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES
Many pastors may not know the extent to which the pandemic has altered their church for months or years to come, but some say it has already brought long-term changes.
The most common shift pastors had to make due to COVID-19 was delaying a large planned capital expense, with 12% of pastors saying they had to put off a construction project or similar expenditure.
Some churches (8%) say they were forced to delete a ministry. Overall, 2% of pastors say they cut their outreach ministry, 2% got rid of their children’s ministry, 2% stopped Sunday School or small groups, 1% ended student ministry, and 1% deleted other service times like Wednesday and Sunday nights.
Church staff were impacted at some congregations, as 6% of pastors say their church reduced the pay or benefits for staff members, and 6% say they were forced to delete a staff position. African American pastors are the most likely to say they had to cut staff pay or benefits (21%) and delete positions (18%).
Another 6% of pastors say they reduced giving levels to their denomination, while 5% stopped supporting a missionary or outside ministry.
Still, almost 3 in 4 Protestant pastors (73%) say their congregation has avoided any of these long-term issues to this point.
“Most churches have not had to make drastic cuts to their ministry to this point, but the effects of the pandemic are also not over,” said McConnell. “From pastors’ perspectives, some of the suspended ministry activities already feel long term even if they hope to resume those activities soon.”
First published on LifeWayResearch.com. Used by permission.