Reasons church switchers left their previous church
Percent of U.S. Protestant churchgoers who switched churches, by reason, 2023 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Things changed about the church they did not like (29%). Lowest: Previous church closed (2%).
- Things changed about the church they did not like: 29%
- Church not fulfilling their needs: 29%
- Disenchanted with the pastor: 27%
Source: Lifeway Research, Church Switchers Highlight Reasons for Congregational Change · Online survey of 1,001 American Protestant churchgoers, July 26-August 4, 2023, national pre-recruited panel. Article published 2023-11-07.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Things changed about the church they did not like (29%). Lowest: Previous church closed (2%). Things changed about the church they did not like: 29%. Church not fulfilling their needs: 29%. Disenchanted with the pastor: 27%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2023. Source: Lifeway Research, Church Switchers Highlight Reasons for Congregational Change (https://research.lifeway.com/2023/11/07/church-switchers-highlight-reasons-for-congregational-change/).
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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.