Faithlife recently released results from a survey of church leaders across the country revealing that 15% of participants noted increased engagement in online midweek services and small groups.
“We believe that increased midweek attendance during this pandemic is significant for several reasons,” said Faithlife Founder and CEO Bob Pritchett. “We know by now that many people at home, both Christian and non-Christian, have been tuning in to church services remotely, and that is wonderful news. But to see midweek attendance spike so sharply is encouraging because it shows that more and more people are seeking to not simply check off their Sunday service box but truly engage with God’s Word and connect with the church.”
Additional data from the survey showed trends in technology use during this pandemic, including:
• Less than 25% of churches reported that they had a live streaming solution in place prior to the pandemic, while a whopping 54% said they implemented live streaming because of the pandemic.
• Compared to 2019, churches without online giving saw an average giving decrease of 19% during Holy Week. Churches with an online giving solution saw much less of a reduction, decreasing 5.5% on average.
• While attendance overall was down for churches on Easter Sunday, those that streamed live or prerecorded services tended to see less of a drop in attendance than those that used a web conferencing solution.
• When asked, 36% of pastors said they need help with staying connected with the congregation, especially those who don’t have internet access or are not online and 32% worry about the well-being of their congregants.