Covid 19 Church Survey One Year Report

HOW CHURCH LEADERS ARE RESPONDING TO THE CHALLENGES OF COVID-19

FREE

More than a year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Church is beginning to reopen in the United States. This process has been uneven, with many cities still under significant restrictions while others are able to operate with relatively minor accommodations. At the center of this season of reopening is the pressing need for churches to gain clarity on the state of their membership. While online services and ministries have offered a necessary lifeline of connection, the rapid change and inherent disconnectedness of the pandemic has produced a season of uncertainty. How are churches in the United States fairing in terms of membership, attendance, and giving? How are pastors navigating the new pressures of reopening after over a year of unprecedented challenges?

The National COVID-19 Church Attendance Project (NCCAP) represents an effort to answer these questions as we track church reopening. In partnership with Wheaton College, Exponential, and Outreach, the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center surveyed more than 600 churches representing over 400,000 weekly worshippers from 47 states and the District of Colombia.

This One-Year Report is sponsored in collaboration by:

  • Wheaton College Billy Graham Center
  • Exponential
  • Leadership Network
  • CDF Capital
  • Outreach Magazine
  • Wheaton College Billy Graham Center’s Send Institute
  • Wheaton College Center for Urban Engagement
  • Wheaton College Humanitarian Disaster Institute

To read the first survey report, click here. To read the second survey report, click here. To read the third survey report, click here.

Ed Stetzer
Ed Stetzer holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair for Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College. Ed also serves as the Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton, and as chair of the Evangelism and Leadership Program in the Graduate School. Ed is a prolific author, and well-known conference speaker. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents, holds two masters degrees and two doctorates, and has written or co-written a dozen books and hundreds of articles. Stetzer is a contributing editor for Christianity Today, a columnist for Outreach Magazine, and is frequently cited or interviewed in news outlets such as USAToday and CNN. He is also the Executive Editor of The Gospel Project, which is used by over 1 million individuals each week. Stetzer also co-hosts BreakPoint This Week, a radio broadcast that airs on over 400 media outlets.  
More from the author
Andrew MacDonald
Andrew MacDonald is the Associate Director of the Billy Graham Center Institute. He has an MA in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Talbot School of Theology and is currently a PhD Candidate in Historical Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Andrew and his wife Jenna live in Wheaton, Illinois with their two children.
More from the author
Enoch Hill
Enoch Hill is an Assistant Professor of Economics, at Wheaton College. Prior to returning to the academic arena, he worked as an Actuary with Allstate Insurance Company and spent time in Guatemala working with a Christian organization designed to provide microloans to those living in and around the Guatemala City garbage dump. He enjoys playing sports, piano and spending time with his amazing wife Alissa and their three children.
More from the author