“Churches are not exempt from this sense of uncertainty as they try to carve out new routines for weekly services and ministries in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In partnership with the Billy Graham Center’s Send Institute, Leadership Network, Catalyst, Discpleship.org, and ARC, Exponential conducted a survey of church leaders and pastors’ responses to the COVID-19 epidemic and quarantine. The purpose of this polling is to help church leaders get a feel for where things are regarding the state of the Church and significant challenges as they adapt to their new reality of remote ministry.

According to the 1,000+ church leaders who were surveyed, pastors and church leaders are experiencing the same uncertainty that we are seeing in other industries during this crisis. Churches are not exempt from this sense of uncertainty as they try to carve out new routines for weekly services and ministries. In our immediate poll, over half of the leaders surveyed (54%) registered their uncertainty about the future and a willingness to only take things one week at a time.

Pastors also indicated they are struggling to navigate the obstacles of technology-based ministry. When we asked pastors and church leaders to choose the major obstacles they’ve faced in moving their churches online, more than half (53%) of respondents said that creating engaging interactions was a significant obstacle in their online gathering. 

Churches and pastors find themselves like much of the world – wondering how this pandemic will affect their church’s financial models. A majority of pastors who responded (57%) asked for content on how to survive the financial crunch. Even as pastors are primarily focused on connecting with their people and reestablishing ministry routines, the economic reality of this epidemic is beginning to hit home.

In the complete findings of this report you will find:

• The full list of what pastors and churches are working through as they walk through the COVID-19 pandemic
• How churches are adapting to the use of technology and the response of their churches to moving to online ministry
• A full list of innovations many churches have implemented that you may find helpful in your particular church setting

This Report is one of many resources available on our COVID-19 Resources Page. Click here for more.

Thanks again to our partners the Billy Graham Center’s Send Institute, Leadership Network, Catalyst, Discpleship.org, and ARC for helping to get the word out about this important study.