Perhaps no issue is as controversial in church life right now as the question of whether or not to offer in person worship.
Yesterday, Pew Research published the findings of their survey of 10,211 U.S. adults conducted July 13 to 19, 2020. Notably 7 of 10 (70%) respondents who regularly attend worship believe the operating status of their congregation should be open.
Readiness Varies by Group
Opinions on whether churches should be open (like normal or with modifications) or closed vary widely by group.
Evangelicals Above All Others
Evangelical Protestants are more likely to believe their congregations should be open than any other group.
Among Protestants, Evangelicals are far less likely than other groups to believe their congregations should be closed.
- Evangelical Protestant – 18%
- Mainline Protestant – 40%
- Historically Black Protestant – 41%
Preference vs. Reality
While only between 2 and 4 out of 10 (18% – 41%) of the regular church attending Protestants felt their congregations should be closed, a higher percentage of both Evangelical and Mainline reported that their congregations are currently closed.
- Evangelical Protestant – 24% (+6%)
- Mainline Protestant – 45% (+5%)
There was no gap between desired state and actual state (41%) of closure among Historically Black Protestants.
So What?
A few weeks ago I shared my thoughts on the then recently published survey of clergy conducted by LifeWay Research that showed more than 7 in 10 American Protestant congregations had offered an in person worship experience in the prior week.
And, just a few weeks before that I shared my thoughts on the then recently published survey conducted by the American Enterprise Institute that found nearly 2 in 3 Americans were not ready to return to in person worship.
Clearly, opinions are evolving. It is my hope that those who follow the Way of Jesus will form their opinions utilizing the latest data while observing general best practices for large group gatherings, and that such individuals will do so in a manner that aligns with their theology.