Where new congregation attendees came from
Percent of new attendees of U.S. congregations, 2025 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Switching from another congregation (69%). Lowest: Never been to a congregation before (8%).
- Switching from another congregation: 69%
- Returned after a long time away: 22%
- Never been to a congregation before: 8%
Source: Lifeway Research, Church Attendance Increases for the First Time in Decades · Data from more than 7,000 U.S. congregations surveyed in late 2025. Article published 2026-05-01.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Switching from another congregation (69%). Lowest: Never been to a congregation before (8%). Switching from another congregation: 69%. Returned after a long time away: 22%. Never been to a congregation before: 8%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2025. Source: Lifeway Research, Church Attendance Increases for the First Time in Decades (https://research.lifeway.com/2026/05/01/church-attendance-increases-for-the-first-time-in-decades/).
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More Visitors statistics
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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.