Season 1, Episode 21 - This week's episode will look at some helpful research about how the church is doing post-COVID. Knowing more about the larger picture enables us to put our experiences in a bigger context and take things less personally (I hope).
Data:
1. Pew Research Center reports that 63% of Americans describe themselves as Christians (down from 75% 10 years ago).
2. Post Covid Who Didn’t Return:
a. The middle holds – churches with 40-60 YO seeing “back to church” stronger than younger (under 30) and older (over 65).
b. Decline in attendance most pronounced among married adults without kids.
c. Decline in attendance not linked by conservative/liberal divide.
d. 1 in 3 practicing Christians has stopped attending church during COVID (Barna)
e. Christians who say they attend church monthly has dropped seven percentage points: 64% to 57%. (Lifeway Research)
f. Pew Research reports that 2 in 3 of regular attendees returned.
Why people didn’t return (Influence Magazine)
1. COVID Hesitancy.
2. Inertia
3. Weak Attachments
4. Church switching
5. No added value.
6. Jesus’ calling
Important to know:
1. Americans report COVID strengthened their faith (not weakened it).
2. Concern that the lack of in-person interaction could weaken social bonds which affect public mental health (depression, suicide, drugs, and alcohol).
3. A Barna survey reports those who stopped attending church are “more likely to feel insecure and anxious, compared with practicing Christians who didn’t stop attending services in person.”
4. “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be.”
Interesting and watching…..
1. Aggregate data from Barna from 2019-22 shows growing weekly attendance from Millennials (21% to 39%), Gen X (24% to 32%), and a decrease in Boomers (32% to 25%). Includes ONLINE and in-person worship.
2. “In 2020 and 2021, our data represents churchgoers either settling into or opting out of online attendance. Despite all of the disruptions of 2020, the opportunity of online worship actually helped to boost attendance across all generations. However, in 2021, the novelty seemed to have worn off and people’s church attendance declined significantly. Now, in 2022, younger generations especially are re-engaging in church, a shift that might potentially mark a new chapter in church attendance.”
3. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of church attendance happened exclusively in person. Today, that’s only true for about half of churched adults.
Re-Gathering (From Church Fuel)
1. Make church about the kids
2. Focus on Community, not content
3. Develop a communications plan
4. We need to normalize higher levels of engagement and involvement
Resources:
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Ministry & Life Coaching and Social Media Management at NicoleReilley.com.
Expanding the Expedition Through Digital Ministry by Nicole Reilley
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