September attendance compared to pre-pandemic February levels
Percent of U.S. Protestant pastors, September 2020 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: 50% to less than 70% (34%). Lowest: More than before (4%).
- 50% to less than 70%: 34%
- 70% to less than 90%: 21%
- 30% to less than 50%: 20%
Source: Lifeway Research, Few Churches Back to Pre-COVID Attendance Levels · Lifeway Research mixed mode survey of 1,007 Protestant pastors; sampling error plus or minus 3.4%. Article published 2020-10-20.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: 50% to less than 70% (34%). Lowest: More than before (4%). 50% to less than 70%: 34%. 70% to less than 90%: 21%. 30% to less than 50%: 20%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2020. Source: Lifeway Research, Few Churches Back to Pre-COVID Attendance Levels (https://research.lifeway.com/2020/10/20/few-churches-back-to-pre-covid-attendance-levels/).
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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
- Americans attending religious services at least once or twice a month Lifeway Research, 2021
- Average pastor's in-person attendance as a share of pre-pandemic attendance Lifeway Research, 2021
- Average weekly in-person worship attendance in Southern Baptist congregations Lifeway Research, 2021
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.