Change in average worship attendance since 2023
Percent of Protestant pastors reporting each change, 2025 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Increased by at least 4% (54%). Lowest: Declined by at least 4% (16%).
- Increased by at least 4%: 54%
- Plateaued (within plus or minus 4%): 30%
- Declined by at least 4%: 16%
Source: Lifeway Research, Pastors Report Growing Attendance, but Fewer Unchurched Newcomers · Lifeway Research study sponsored by the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. Article published 2026-09-01.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Increased by at least 4% (54%). Lowest: Declined by at least 4% (16%). Increased by at least 4%: 54%. Plateaued (within plus or minus 4%): 30%. Declined by at least 4%: 16%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2025. Source: Lifeway Research, Pastors Report Growing Attendance, but Fewer Unchurched Newcomers (https://research.lifeway.com/2026/09/01/pastors-report-growing-attendance-but-fewer-unchurched-newcomers/).
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More Attendance statistics
- Change in congregations' worship attendance over two years Lifeway Research, 2026
- Churchgoers' views on the amount of liturgical style in their church Lifeway Research, 2026
- Regular religious service attendance by age group Lifeway Research, 2026
- Share of all Protestant churchgoers who attend megachurches Lifeway Research, 2026
- Americans who attend church weekly Public Religion Research Institute, 2025
- Americans who belong to a church, synagogue or mosque Gallup, 2025
About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.