A latest study has suggested that churches within the US have experienced growth and engagement because the Covid lockdowns of 4 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 greater than 24,000 churchgoers across over 80 denominations.
More than a 3rd of those surveyed (38 per cent) said that they had joined their current church within the last five years, even though it needs to be noted that this includes people changing church in addition to latest believers and seekers.
Eighty per cent of those surveyed also reported attending church on a more regular basis than before the pandemic. This was very 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 1 / 4 of churchgoers said they recurrently join online worship, with the remaining three quarters preferring in-person worship. Two thirds of those that join online church events said they did other things at home while joining.
Most people surveyed said that because the pandemic that they had grown in faith and in spirituality. Other changes include a rise in charitable giving and volunteering.
The report also included the private comments of a lot 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 all the things to me. I used to be a hardcore atheist for over a decade, but Christ and the Church have continued to alter my entire being. I’m thankful this is not something that continues to occur to me alone, but for my wife as well. I could not imagine my life without Christianity. I really like my parish, I really like my Priest and Deacon, I tell them that at the least once per week. Christ is Risen!”
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