Departure?

The witness of the Church has tremendous potential to display the light of Christ, and we have been empowered to minister on His behalf, by the power that flows through us. Paul wrote in 1st Timothy chapter 3:
14 These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly;
15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

The truth has been entrusted to us, the Church, the body of Christ, according to verse 15 in 1st Timothy 3. If our lives are built on that foundation, we will find the strength we need in order to live a victorious Christian life, a life that shows that we know Him and are allowing Him to work through us. Even though the pandemic has been a hindrance to the work of the Lord, we know, coming out of this time of trial, that we have the potential to emerge stronger, as we take hold of the call of God.

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Jesus is the head of the Church, and He invites us to participate with Him in fellowship with Himself and with one another in the body of Christ. Colossians 1 tells us:
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

I am continuing to follow church attendance trends in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, during 2020, in the time of lockdowns, you had a surge in virtual worship and online resources were being used of the Lord to bring people hope and to lead them to Christ.

In the summer of 2020 and beyond, a vast number of churches began to open their doors again, and people began to return.  So, where are we now?  Pew Research has released a poll that might provide a benchmark to answer that question.

The summary of the survey opens this way:

As COVID-19 cases continue to decline and pandemic restrictions are eased across the United States, churches and other houses of worship increasingly are holding services the way they did before the outbreak began, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. But there has not been a corresponding rise over the past six months in the share of Americans who are attending in-person services.

43% of adults who attend services say that, in Pew's words, "their house of worship is currently open and holding services the same way it did before the COVID-19 outbreak – up 14 percentage points in the last six months and 31 points since last March." But Pew goes on to say, " 47% say their congregation is open but with modifications still in place due to the pandemic, such as mask requirements or social distancing."

But in-person worship attendance seems to have "plateaued," according to the poll - here's the progression:

In July 2020, roughly four months after COVID-19 upended life in America, 13% of U.S. adults reported having attended religious services in person during the previous month. That figure rose to 17% in March 2021 and then to 26% in September 2021, and now stands at 27%.

That's as of March of this year.  The summary also notes: "Over the same period, the share of Americans who say they have streamed religious services online or watched them on TV in the past month declined from 36% in July 2020 to 28% in September 2021 and is now 30%."

Among professing Christians who generally attend worship services at least once monthly, 68% said in March that they have attended within the past month, up from 64% in September.  Among evangelicals, there is a jump from 72 to 75%.

One further note:

The survey’s questions about in-person and virtual attendance can be combined to provide a sense of how many people are watching services online instead of attending in person, and how many are watching online in addition to attending in person. The Center’s survey finds that among all adults who say they typically attend services at least monthly, 36% have both attended in person and watched services digitally in the last month, while three-in-ten (31%) say they have only attended in person but not watched online or on TV in the last month.

Bottom line: In-person worship is important.  While virtual has been an effective substitute during the pandemic and there are reports of how people have come to know Christ and been strengthened in their walk, it is certainly not the long-term primary alternative to being with other believers.

But, electronic media, such as Faith Radio, are a vital way to stay spiritually connected and to build up the local church. The access to God's Word is incredible and we can certainly benefit from our exposure to teaching, music, and information that is offered. Even though God has made this content available, we still need that personal study of God's Word and fellowship with other believers.

This data does show that the progression of people returning to church has plateaued and that is an area of concern.  It is important that believers and their churches maintain their connection with one another, so that we might be the vibrant body of Christ He intends.