According to a June 2020 survey conducted by the American Enterprise Institute nearly 2 out of 3 Americans (64%) are not comfortable returning to in person worship at this point in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Group Differences
Interestingly, this research found that white Evangelical Protestants are the most ready to return to in person worship.
The percentage who responded that they were either somewhat comfortable or very comfortable attending a worship service in person by religious group follows:
- White Evangelical Protestants – 61%
- White Catholic – 39%
- White Mainline Protestant – 36%
- Black Protestant – 32%
- Hispanic Catholic – 26%
Fort Worth
The congregations I’m most involved with have not returned to in person worship. I wondered, however, if other nearby congregations had also continued to worship exclusively online or if any had resumed in person worship.
From mid-2018 to mid-2019, my wife and I visited 15 congregations (most are White Mainline Protestant) in or near Fort Worth as part of our search for a church. Earlier today I visited each congregation’s website and social media accounts to see if any had returned to in person worship.
To date, none of these congregations have resumed in person services. One congregation had made a plan to return to in person worship starting today, but based on COVID-19 case counts decided to push back opening for at least another month. Several congregations have posted data driven rather than date driven plans that included phased plans for reopening.
So What?
Whether or not people are comfortable returning to worship should be among the many data points church leadership bodies consider when discerning how and when to begin offering in person options.
Until then, the challenge congregations face is how to be church virtually. And, even after congregations begin to return to providing some in person options the importance of virtual worship, study, service and general connectivity will remain far beyond what it was in a pre-COVID-19 world.