Churches Are Rebounding After COVID-19. Yes, Really

The latest report from the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations initiative was published in April, and what it revealed was striking. Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations is a “multi-faceted and longitudinal research project” dedicated to examining how churches in the U.S. responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, the long-term consequences of the pandemic on congregational life, and what congregational life looks like post-pandemic. For the first time since 2022, congregations saw a rebound in in-person attendance. Median in-person attendance jumped to 70 people, showing an increase from pre-pandemic levels, and the first increase for congregations in 25 years. 

The study, backed by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, echoes other reports that have pointed to modest increases in religious participation. As a pastor who also participated in the study, I can say that I have noticed this modest increase in religious participation in my own congregation. Congregational life seems to be on a modest upswing, but that does not erase decades of decline. 

Here are four takeaways from the report that I think you ought to know:

1. An uneven recovery from the pandemic in attendance, with the bigger getting bigger

While the headlines were quick to trumpet the news of a religious turnaround, the actual data is a bit more modest in its claims. About half of congregations remain in decline, and the pace of congregation closures continues to outpace the opening of new congregations. Indeed, part of the explanation given for this rebound is that the smallest and weakest congregations in the post-pandemic era have closed. 

The gains are modest, and the median congregation has an attendance of about 70 in-person worshipers. What’s even more interesting is that large congregations (those with more than 250 in-person worshippers) were the most likely to grow, while the smallest congregations were hit hardest by decline. The report puts it this way: “While there are pockets of growth and flourishing, the overall data on attendance size and change rates still point to a sobering reality: most congregations are small, and nearly half are shrinking.” 

As the pastor of a median-size congregation, that’s a sobering reality. We have seen modest gains in attendance. But the reality is that the church in your neighborhood might not be joining in on the post-pandemic rebound. Although they only represent 13% of churches, the largest congregations in the U.S. account for about 78% of attenders nationwide. The big are getting bigger, but that doesn’t mean every congregation is experiencing the post-pandemic rebound. 

2. Pastors are feeling better (and might not quit)

If there’s one thing that I noticed in my clergy groups, it’s that the tenor has moved away from despondency and toward hope. For the first several years after the pandemic, many of my colleagues reported feeling burnt out, and many were considering retiring or leaving the ministry. The most common refrain I heard was that church had changed and the job of a minister was no longer life-giving. That has been much less ubiquitous lately, as the clergy I know are rediscovering the joy of the job.

READ MORE: Why Pastors Are Joining the Great Resignation

The study looked at the following metrics to measure clergy well-being: physical, mental, spiritual, relational, and financial health. Those of us who were lucky enough to stay in our positions or ministries are generally feeling better about the job, according to the data. The report states that clergy well-being hit its lowest point in the fall of 2023. But since then, clergy well-being has moderately improved, though it has not rebounded all the way back to spring 2023 levels. The most surprising finding is that well over half (58%) of clergy said they never seriously think about leaving pastoral ministry, and 69% never think about leaving their current congregation for another one. 

That’s good news for churches, where clergy leadership and tenure continue to be some of the most important predictors of the stability of a congregation. If clergy are happier and less likely to quit ministry or leave an individual church, they can have longer tenures and, hopefully, lead congregations to flourishing. 

3. Overall, churches are hesitant to engage in politics. But what do we mean by politics?

One of the study’s findings was that, while 23% of congregations considered themselves politically active, 45% did not. One of the key factors contributing to the willingness to engage in political discussions was a feeling of political cohesion within congregations. In other words, those who were more likely to agree on politics—whether conservative or progressive—felt more able to wade into those waters. 

However, the study does not define what is meant by politics. For instance, my congregation would not support a particular candidate—even though, in July 2025, the IRS reversed the guidelines previously preventing a church from doing so. But I suspect that our work on immigration, anti-authoritarianism, and other values-based advocacy would be considered political by our members and some outside observers. Is it a “political” act to live out our values in public and talk about them on Sunday? Undoubtedly, it is, but when people hear the term politics, they might instinctively think of electoral politics. 

One way to read the study’s findings about churches’ reluctance to engage in politics is to see them as an indication that the idea of a “purple church,” where members might disagree about political policies, is alive and well. In political scientist Ryan Burge’s The Vanishing Church, he argues that those very churches are declining at a rapid rate and that their disappearance from the political landscape is both a harbinger and an indicator of the political polarization gripping the country. The data says that the center might be both more common and stronger than we thought. 

4. Bigger Isn’t Always Better

For all the talk of big congregations getting bigger, there is real energy among smaller congregations too. One survey respondent said, “Those who left went to places that better fit their theology and political points of view. We are smaller in numbers but stronger.” The sense that the pandemic caused congregations to come into alignment was expressed throughout the report, and some of that alignment happened because congregants left for other congregations. 

Too often, leaders—myself included—focus on the numbers, but bigger is not always better. A smaller, more nimble organization might be more open to change. Getting congregations to try new ideas is no easy task, but the survey reveals a significant number of congregants who “strongly agree” that their congregation is willing to change to meet new challenges in the wake of the pandemic. While 39% of congregations were open to change in 2021, only 29% were open to it in 2025, although this is an increase from 21% in 2023. It appears that flexibility could be an enduring legacy of the COVID-19 era.

The Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations survey was not all positive, but there are real reasons for hope in its findings. For weary pastors or congregants looking for something to hang onto, there is plenty there. Only time will tell whether the post-pandemic rebound will hold or whether the decades-long decline in church attendance might be headed for a reversal. One thing is sure: Congregations remain a vital force in American life, and they are worth fighting for. 

Only time will tell whether the post-pandemic rebound will hold or whether the decades-long decline in church attendance might be headed for a reversal.