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 Read More …
Trends
Most Congregations Now Offer In Person Worship (#1881)
How many Protestant congregations in America are offering one or more in person worship experiences on a given weekend? A survey of American Protestant pastors conducted July 20-22, 2020 by LifeWay Research indicates that 71% of congregations provided one or more in person worship experiences on the weekend of July 19. When COVID-19 began to impact decision making about offering an in person option the percentage of congregations doing so declined steadily from 99% in early March to just 4% by Read More …
10 In Person Worship Experiences from 2020 (#1880)
It has been over four months since I last attended a worship service alongside hundreds of other people. And, I have no idea when I might next have a similar - recognizing in a COVID-19 world that any future in person experience will be unlike what I knew prior to COVID-19 - experience. Today, I'm sharing ten images of worship experiences I had earlier this year at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth and Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ in Dallas. (All images were originally Read More …
Nearly 3 Million Young Adults Moved Back Home (#1878)
Philip Cohen, a sociologist who teaches at the University of Maryland - College Park, recently wrote about the sudden spike in young people (aged 18-29) living in the home of a parent or grandparent. Based on data from the Current Population Survey, which is conducted on a monthly basis by Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the sudden rise in both the number and percentage of young people living in the home of a parent or grandparent is unprecedented. Cohen Read More …
Not Comfortable Returning to In Person Worship (#1877)
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 Read More …
PC(USA) Membership Declines by “Only 50K” (#1872)
The Office of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) recently published denominational statistics for 2019. I first learned of this new data by reading an article titled "PC(USA) Statistics Show a Leveling Off in Membership Decline." Recent Decline While the denomination has been in decline since its formation, this article seeks to tell the more positive micro story within that ongoing macro story. It seeks to achieve this by focusing on recent positive trends, Read More …
The Coming Wave of Permanent Church Closures (#1867)
Last September I debunked the popular notion that 10,000 congregations close each year in America. Based on the best information available, the number of congregations closing each year in recent years has likely been between 3,850 to 7,700. These numbers reflect a closure rate of 1% to 2% a year. COVID-19 Alters Projections A recent Faith and Leadership article, "Will the church financially survive the COVID-19 pandemic," featured the wisdom of twelve diverse leaders. Bill Read More …
Church Identity in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic (#1865)
This morning one of the memories Facebook thought I'd like to see was a picture of Fort Myers Congregational United Church of Christ's monument sign from five years ago. I took the photo while serving as this congregation's Interim/Transitional Pastor. Identity It is important that congregations have a well defined identity. When congregations know who they are and who God is calling them to become they can thrive in normal times and can adapt faithfully during atypical Read More …
40 New Online Worship Experiences (#1864)
Online worship is what many are calling the new normal. Earlier today I asked my Facebook friends to share links to the online services they planned to participate in today. I was overwhelmed by the response! The following list is comprised of the first forty replies I received that included online English language services available on Facebook, YouTube, or the congregation's website. While I recognize that many congregations provide worship on multiple platforms, Read More …
Church Changes in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic (#1863)
Nearly every American church has implemented significant changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The surveys mentioned below offer data about changes that have occurred and changes people would welcome in the future. Each statistic comes from a different survey. 3% of Americans planned to attend an Easter worship service in person (PRRI survey conducted April 6-11, 2020)29% of churches have stopped offering communion for the time being (Barna survey conducted March 20 - April 6, Read More …