In recent months I’ve seen hundreds if not thousands of images of empty sanctuaries or other sacred spaces used for worship shared on social media. And, I’ve seen nearly as many images with just a few people who are leading or preparing to lead virtual worship services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While average weekly worship attendance has long been among the common statistics used to communicate the size of a congregation that statistic usually stands on its own with no mention of how attendance compares to capacity.
The 2020 Statistical Profile of the United Church of Christ includes a special report focused on worship capacity written by Erica Dollhopf, Director, Center for Analytics, Research & Development, and Data (p.32). When congregations completed yearbook data submissions, they were provided an opportunity to complete a supplemental survey that included questions about worship capacity. (2,215 congregations or 45.4% of all congregations shared their current worship capacity.)
So What?
While 85.3% of all congregations in the United Church of Christ have an average weekly worship attendance of 99 or less (p. 11), only 5% of the congregations responding to the supplemental survey had a sanctuary or other worship space with a capacity of 99 or less.
While some congregations need more space, many congregations had more than enough worship space for those attending in person prior to COVID-19 (even without accounting for the reality that many congregations hold more than one service in a given space each week). Historically this unused capacity has enabled congregations to grow without needing to invest in costly expansions. As congregations return to in person worship this additional capacity may allow those with the greatest unused capacity to return more quickly and with fewer modifications to the physical space.
- What is your congregation’s in person worship capacity (maximum number who can worship simultaneously on your campus in spaces primarily intended for worship)?
- What is your congregation’s typical utilization in a pre-COVID-19 world (example 50 people attend an average week with a capacity of 250 = 20% utilization)?
- As your congregation considers a return to in person worship, how do these statistics factor in to your timeline, intended changes in liturgy, and manners in which you are likely to modify the physical space?