Half Of US Churches Experiencing Post-Pandemic Attendance Growth – Religion Unplugged

Half Of US Churches Experiencing Post-Pandemic Attendance Growth – Religion Unplugged
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Half of U.S. Protestant pastors say their churches are growing but some warning signs remain about their congregational future.

U.S. Protestant churches are almost evenly split between those that have grown within the past two years and those that are plateaued or declining, according to an Exponential study by Lifeway Research.

Around half of the congregations (52%) increased their worship service attendance by at least 4% in the past two years. The other 48% of churches have either remained within plus or minus 4% since 2022 (33%) or declined by at least 4% (15%).

“Clearly, the last two years of attendance growth was aided by people returning to regular attendance after being away since the start of the pandemic,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Most pastors wish they had returned earlier, but their attendance is a source of optimism, though future growth will need to come from brand new contacts.”