A new study has suggested that churches in the US have experienced growth and engagement since the Covid lockdowns of four or five years ago.
The research was conducted by the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations project, led by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, and surveyed more than 24,000 churchgoers across over 80 denominations.
More than a third of those surveyed (38 per cent) said they had joined their current church in the last five years, although it should be noted that this includes people changing church as well as new believers and seekers.
Eighty per cent of those surveyed also reported attending church on a more regular basis than before the pandemic. This was especially true of younger churchgoers.
The Covid lockdowns, while often prohibiting or restricting church gatherings, led many congregations to explore or develop online worship and events, a trend that has apparently continued post-lockdown.
Just over a quarter of churchgoers said they regularly join online worship, with the remaining three quarters preferring in-person worship. Two thirds of those who join online church events said they did other things at home while joining.
Most people surveyed said that since the pandemic they had grown in faith and in spirituality. Other changes include an increase in charitable giving and volunteering.
The report also included the personal comments of many of those surveyed, with one saying, “Becoming a Christian has done nothing but vastly improve my life.”
Another gave this testimony of his church: “This place means everything to me. I was a hardcore atheist for over a decade, but Christ and the Church have continued to change my entire being. I'm thankful this isn't something that continues to happen to me alone, but for my wife as well. I couldn't imagine my life without Christianity. I love my parish, I love my Priest and Deacon, I tell them that at least once a week. Christ is Risen!”
