Most Churches Cautiously Holding Services Again

This third online survey from Lifeway received 443 responses from Protestant Pastors from July 2020 and was weighted by congregational attendance, region, pastor ethnicity, and pastor identification as evangelical or mainline. Congregations slowly began reopening in May 2020 and by June 7, 55% were meeting in person. In the first three Sundays in July 2020, 70%, 73%, and 71% of churches had met in person. 59% of congregations recommended masks, while 35% required masks. 28% had seen a congregant diagnosed with COVID (up 8 points since April 2020) and 5% reported a congregant death because of COVID. Only 13% of congregants had begun children’s ministries with 57% still unsure about when to restart. 27% of pastors reported maintaining unity and avoiding conflict their top pressure points. Includes open-ended responses.