Lifeway Survey: The Pandemic Is Over, But Church Attendance Down Substantially + 1 in 10 Down 50%
The covid cleaning (or partial cleansing anyway)
Almost every church in the United States is holding church services two and a half years after the pandemic began, but attendance is down an average of 15%, according to a recent Lifeway Survey, and nearly 1 in 10 churches are down 50%
After COVID 19 hit, most churches closed their doors for months or years at a time, with only a few faithful churches remaining open in some capacity the entire time. Most went to all-virtual services, offering congregants a coarse, substandard, and sub-biblical experience that was not church at all, deposited being marketed as such. Consequently, online services were sparsely attended and those that did stick with it found it more appealing than rejoining the body.
While the overwhelming number of churches are back in full swing, not all are, as some lost institutions are just now starting up again for in-person services.
The survey further reports that 8% of congregations are still down 50% from pre-COVID attendance numbers, thanks to people like this:
Lastly, it’s revealed that 35% of pastors report having at least 90% of their former attendance, and 17% say their numbers are up. As far as who is down the most and privy to those 50% losses, the mainline progressive churches (United Methodist Church, ELCA, PCUSA, Episcopalians) are leading the way.