Welcome to the inaugural Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations newsletter by Hartford Institute for Religion Research. This occasion not only marks our first issue but also the release of our first study in this five year effort to track the influence of the pandemic on congregational life throughout the U.S. The study report offers a glimpse of how churches are navigating the COVID-19 reality. The data from this past summer shows that congregational life is far from “back to normal” but also offers a few glimmers of hope and signs of resilience.
“These findings from the summer clearly show that the pandemic has had a profound impact across the religious spectrum, and that some churches are faring better than others,” said Principal Investigator Scott Thumma. “The fact that 83% of churches had at least one member test positive shows that almost no congregation was spared, but over two-thirds feel they will emerge stronger than before implies these faith communities are a resilient bunch.”
Research shows 80% of churches are now offering hybrid services with both in-person and remote options, while only 15% are solely worshipping in person. However, during the height of the pandemic when people around the country were experiencing severe isolation over half of the churches surveyed (54%) reported completely discontinuing fellowship events, rather than moving them online.
Community service activities, however, remained a thriving ministry for most churches and continued to be offered in person. Over 30% of congregations saw the need for food assistance, counseling and spiritual demands grow over the course of the pandemic. Fortunately, many congregations (41%) also saw their giving increase to help meet this growing demand.
Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations also found the majority of clergy (62%) encouraged parishioners to get vaccinated and 28% of congregations welcomed medical personnel to address their membership.
This is the first wave of a collaborative, five-year research project funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. and led by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace (formerly Hartford Seminary). We will continue to release targeted analyses of more specific findings from our topical surveys breaking down how Mainline/Evangelical, multiracial, Black congregations, Latinx congregations, and churches of differing sizes are navigating the pandemic.
