29 September 2021
“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” [Ezekiel 33:6]
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12]
Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] United Church of Christ to Sell Cleveland Headquarters
Additional Articles of Interest
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[1] United Church of Christ to Sell Cleveland Headquarters
In his 23 September 2021 Juicy Ecumenism blog from the Institute on Religion and Democracy, Jeffery Watson wrote, “In a sign of declining staff and resources, one of the original “seven sisters” of mainline Protestantism in the United States is preparing to sell its Cleveland, Ohio denominational headquarters.”
Watson cited the United Church of Christ’s continual membership decline since its 1957 founding as a merger of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches as the primary reason for the sale.
[Editor’s Note: The Calvin Synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church is in the United Church of Christ.]
+ Institute on Religion and Democracy, 1023 15th Street Northwest, Suite 601, Washington DC 20005-2601, 202-682-4131, Fax: 202-682-4136, info@theird.org
+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org
+ Calvin Synod, C/O Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, General Secretary, 7319 Tapper Avenue, Hammond, Indiana 46324, 219-931-4321, kkludwig@aol.com
EXPORT, PA – Because of COVID-19, more than three out of every four evangelical Protestants in the US have experienced watching church online instead of attending in-person. More important is that going forward, the majority who did now want to make online viewing part of their normal church experience.
These findings come from the new report, The Ripple Effect: Congregations, COVID, and the Future of Church Life, from Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research. The study, which included over 1,000 American Evangelical Protestants, examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on church attendance and attitudes about the experience. Most notably, the study explores how evangelicals want to attend church in the future.
Nearly nine out of ten evangelicals (eighty-seven percent) were attending church on at least a semi-regular basis prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. Among churchgoers, eighty-nine percent stopped attending for at least a short time due to the pandemic, and more than three out of four viewed church services online as one of the substitutes for in-person attendance.
This experience with viewing church online led to a number of important developments. First, “One statistic that really stands out to me from this study is that a surprisingly large number of evangelicals do not necessarily see superior advantages to attending in-person services,” says Mark Dreistadt, Infinity Concepts Founder and President. “We found that forty-five percent of those who experienced online church services now believe that worship online is equal or superior to the in-person experience in at least one of the eight areas we explored.”
The two areas in which online viewing was most likely to have a perceived advantage were their personal comfort (twenty-six percent said online viewing is superior to in-person attendance in this area) and their ability to experience different churches (twenty-four percent).
Where evangelicals are most likely to see in-person church as the superior experience is in their level of connection/engagement with the church (eighty-one percent), having an authentic worship experience (seventy-three percent), the music/singing (sixty-nine percent), and the ability to give the service their full attention (sixty-seven percent).
Second, among those who viewed online services as a substitute for in-person church, nineteen percent not only viewed services from their own church, but also from at least one church they did not regularly attend prior to the pandemic. Another thirteen percent only viewed services from a church other than their own, but this may have been because their regular church did not offer online services.
“One of the most fascinating and potentially important findings is how many evangelicals took the opportunity to ‘digitally visit’ other churches, even though their own church was streaming services,” says Ron Sellers, President of Grey Matter Research & Consulting. “One has to wonder whether this will ultimately lead to ‘church nomads’ who surf the internet for new church experiences rather than putting down roots and becoming part of a church community.”
The study finding with the greatest potential to impact churches going forward has to do with evangelicals’ future plans. With COVID restrictions ever-changing, infections continuing, and no true end to the pandemic in sight, online church services are going to be a necessary option for the foreseeable future. For most evangelicals who experienced it, the option to worship online is also one they hope will continue long after the pandemic is behind us.
“Our findings show that only forty-four percent of evangelical Protestants who viewed services online want to return exclusively to in-person worship once the pandemic is over,” Dreistadt noted. “That means fifty-six percent would at least like to keep their options open in the future. That’s 21 million evangelical adults.”
This desire raises a lot of strategic questions for churches. If online becomes an accepted option for many evangelicals, how will that impact giving? How will it impact Sunday school, youth and children’s programs, and other traditionally in-person activities that may not be available online? What will happen with smaller churches that may not have a high-quality streaming service, or even any at all?
Much remains unknown about the lasting impact of online services as a substitute for in-person attendance. But Grey Matter and Infinity Concepts hope their partnership on this research helps churches, denominations, and ministry leaders think and plan strategically.
“Our study raises a lot of ‘what ifs’ for the future direction of congregations,” Sellers noted. “The pandemic gave millions of evangelicals an online church experience whether they wanted it or not – and many found out that they wanted it, at least occasionally. It’s time to start talking about how this will impact the future for churches.”
To request a copy of the full report, please contact Darrell Law, Infinity Concepts VP & Chief Growth Officer at darrell@infinityconcepts.com or 724.930.2801.
Definition of “Evangelical Protestant”
This study used the definition of “evangelical” favored by the National Association of Evangelicals. Respondents who agreed strongly with four statements about their spiritual beliefs (The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe, It is important for me to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior, Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin, and Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation), and who were not aligned with a non-Protestant faith group (e.g. Catholic, Orthodox, Mormon) were included in the study.
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Additional Articles of Interest
– Medical Experts Warn: Coronavirus Boosters Kill More Lives Than They Save
– ‘Crimes Against Humanity’: Thousands of Physicians Condemn COVID Policymakers
– Pfizer CEO Says “Normal Life” Won’t Return Without Regular COVID Vaccinations
– Afghan Christians Living in Fear as Taliban Carries Out Executions, Amputations as Punishments
– Norway Official: COVID-19 Can Now Be Compared to the Flu as Country Removes Pandemic Restrictions
– Covid Vaccines Confirmed to KILL Twice As Many People as They “Save”
– Pentagon Confirms Fauci Created and Released COVID-19
– Point Park University Threatens to Take Action Against Students Who Use Wrong Pronouns
– Thousands of Fetal Deaths and Injuries Now Reported Following COVID-19 Injections of Pregnant Women
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