Going Back?

In the book of Acts, we read about the thousands who accepted Christ on the Day of Pentecost and see the establishment of His Church, a Church that not only met together regularly, but was a force to be reckoned with in the culture. 1st Timothy 3 reminds us of the foundation of the work of the Church:
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.

There are many factors that are at work against the witness of the Church.  The pandemic negatively impacted in-person attendance, and while there may have been some positive factors, such as the launch or buildup of online ministry, which certainly has its place, studies show that the return to church attendance may have hit a plateau.  Also factor in an abundance of information that is inconsistent with Scripture, a decline in interest by many, other Sunday options, and more, and you see that we have our work cut out for us - but we have the access to the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, who will do amazing things through His people.

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In the early Church, there was an incredible level of devotion to the body of Christ, a sense of community and common purpose, as we see in Acts 2, following the Day of Pentecost; verse 42 states:
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Later in the chapter, we see this description:
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

I am fairly certain that very few churches in America are not evaluating the extent to which COVID affected their worship attendance.  And, please keep in mind there are two COVID crises - the virus itself and the misguided reactions out of fear of the virus.  It's the fever, yes, but also the fever pitch.

And, a new survey reveals that the percentage of Americans who do not attend religious services has shown an increase since before the pandemic.  The Christian Post reported recently:

The pandemic lockdowns disrupted religious participation for millions of Americans, notes the study, titled “Faith After the Pandemic: How COVID-19 Changed American Religion,” conducted by the Survey on American Life, a project of the American Enterprise Institute.

In the summer of 2020, only 13% of Americans reported attending in-person worship services, which increased to 27% by the spring of 2022, but the rates of worship attendance were still lower than they were before the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, it adds.

In the spring of 2022, 33% of Americans reported they never attend religious services, compared to 25% who reported this before the pandemic, as per the survey, which clarifies that only a few among the most religiously engaged Americans are part of that group.

Interestingly enough, almost 2-in-10 adults "changed their religious identification" during the pandemic. Only 5% of people saying they were religiously affiliated before the pandemic indicated they are now unaffiliated.  

The Christian Post article also noted: "The largest declines in attendance were seen among adults younger than 50, adults with a college degree or less, Hispanic Catholics, black Protestants, and white mainline Protestants, it explains."  The article also mentioned:

Last August’s edition of the "State of the Bible: USA 2022” report from the American Bible Society found that 40% of Generation Z adults ages 18 and older attended church "primarily online." They were followed closely by 36% of churchgoers ages 77 and older.

Another survey on church attendance was conducted last September by Lifeway Research, according to the article, and it "showed while churches were resuming the majority of their in-person services, on average, attendance at their churches in August 2022 was 85% of their Sunday attendance levels in January 2020."

The Christian Post report related that a Pew survey from last spring showed that the return of churchgoers had "leveled off."

All in all, combine the data, and what do you get?

I think, for one thing, we've made some progress in getting people back to the church; there may be a plateau, but conditions have improved.  There are other factors, certainly, besides COVID that are impacting church attendance, including the rise in those religiously unaffiliated, the perceived overall decline among younger people who attend, and the virtual universe. 

Online worship continues to be a help and a hindrance in getting people engaged in church. It was used tremendously during the pandemic to provide worship while many churches were closed. But, we can continue to admit that worshipping virtually cannot compare to the face-to-face interaction with fellow believers.  It has its place - we have to recognize what that is. 

We also have to make sure that the Word of God is foremost in the Church's approach to ministry. In an age of drift that has occurred, it's important that we don't suffer drift in our own personal life. And, churches who continue to be true to the Word can also rely on the Holy Spirit to reach those who need to be reached, in a time where there are many "reasons," really "excuses," in some cases, not to attend.