“One of our slogans is ‘We believe worship is worth the risk,’ so we put our safety protocols in place,” the senior pastor, Bishop Patrick L. The Upper Room Church of God in Christ just celebrated its 86th week of live worship since going online for a seven-week stretch nearly two years ago. We spoke to an African American pastor of a 2,000-member evangelical church in Raleigh, North Carolina, that has managed to beat the pandemic odds. The decline in other racial/ethnical groups is between 5 to 6 percent. But by 2021, the share dropped to 30 percent, a difference of 15 percent. In 2019, 45 percent of Black Americans attended religious service regularly. According to the data, Black Americans are more likely than others to have experienced a sharp decline in church attendance. That’s not the case when it comes to race. Likewise, there are no significant differences by income. Conservatives are more likely than moderates and liberals to attend religious services in the first place, but the decline in attendance is similar in all three groups. On the other hand, ideology does not appear to be linked to the decline. Some 30 percent of married adults without young children attended religious services regularly in 2021, down from 40 percent in 2019. It is also more pronounced among married adults without children under age 18. Americans who are younger or older are more likely than those in the middle age groups to have experienced a drop in attendance. The decline in religious attendance varies by a few demographics. This year, a new Institute for Family Studies (IFS) analysis-using the American Family Survey-sheds further light on how religious attendance has declined significantly over the past two years. Moreover, church membership in the US dropped below 50 percent for the first time in 2020, according to Gallup data dating back to 1940. In June 2021, the Associated Press broke a story that many houses of worship in the US had shuttered forever because of the pandemic.Īccording to data collected in April and May 2020 by Barna Group, one in three practicing Christians dropped out of church completely at the beginning of COVID-19. Some recent research offers insight into that question. Overall, Bradshaw said church “attendance has not recovered to pre-COVID levels,” but, he added, “it is very hard to prognosticate on what long-term effects the pandemic will have.” But an element of the congregation is angered by the mask-mandated position.”

“There was a Zoom fatigue that set in with streaming,” he acknowledged, adding that the church has experienced “significant, discouraging tension over masking.” He explained that “many doctors attend the church and advise us to be conservative. Wade Bradshaw is the lead pastor of a large PCA church in Charlottesville, Virginia, which began livestreaming services in March 2020 and reopened for in-person worship last fall. Other churches have had to deal with declines in attendance and tensions in the congregation over safety protocols. How long will they be able to sustain that before they just get frustrated? Some have.” “My concern is this wear and tear on people’s emotions. “One positive test and you put the information out there, and the fear multiplies into a monster, and people get shaken by it,” he said. While the church has fared well, the pastor is concerned about the impact of the ongoing pandemic on his congregation, especially during this recent surge in cases. “Our people still take precautions, social distancing, and masks-voluntarily,” Pastor Meshaw stated, including canceling a service when necessary. That decision turned out to be a positive thing for the church. “More than 50 percent of our church pushed us to reopen,” Meshaw noted.Īs soon as possible, they reopened-and sooner than other churches in the area. The church voluntarily halted in-person worship early in the pandemic, but it was not long before the leadership began hearing from members who missed their church family. “They are uncomfortable being around crowds.” “Most of the people who are not attending are afraid,” he told us. Almost two years after the church briefly suspended in-person services because of COVID-19, he says they are averaging about 150 people a week. During his 21 years as lead pastor of Grace Church in Greenville, North Carolina, Mike Meshaw has seen many people come and go in the transient area that is home to East Carolina University.īefore COVID-19 shut things down in March 2020, the independent evangelical church averaged about 220 people a week.

People coming back to life after covid