COVID-19 rages on.
So does the pandemic’s big impact on American religion.
From in-person attendance declining to pastors burning out, here are four related trends to watch:
(1) Churches changed during the pandemic and many aren’t going back (by Janet Adamy, Wall Street Journal)
“The number of churchgoers has steadily dropped in the U.S. over the past few decades,” Adamy reports. “But Covid-19 and its lockdown restrictions accelerated that fall. In-person church attendance is roughly 30% to 50% lower than it was before the pandemic, estimates Barna Group, a research firm that studies faith in the U.S.”
(2) Why the minichurch is the latest trend in American religion (by Bob Smietana, Religion News Service)
Smietana profiles a small church in Wisconsin, noting, “Cornerstone is part of the fastest-growing group of congregations in America: the minichurch. According to the recently released Faith Communities Today study, half of the congregations in the United States have 65 people or fewer, while two-thirds of congregations have fewer than 100.”
(3) The pastors aren’t all right: 38% consider leaving ministry (by Kate Shellnutt, Christianity Today)
“Pastoral burnout has worsened during the pandemic,” Shellnutt explains. “A Barna Group survey released (this week) found that 38 percent of pastors are seriously considering leaving full-time ministry, up from 29 percent in January.”
See related coverage from the Washington Times, by former GetReligionista Mark A. Kellner.
(4) Most churches find financial stability in 2021 (by Aaron Earls, Lifeway Research)
“Emerging from the pandemic, most churches don’t seem to be underwater financially, but many are treading water,” Earls reports.