Median in-person worship attendance in U.S. congregations has increased for the first time in a quarter century as post-pandemic church shows signs of rebounding, according to a new study by Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
“What we’re seeing is not a revival — it’s a recalibration,” said Allison Norton, co-investigator on the EPIC project. “Congregations have been through an extraordinary period of disruption, and though it has taken a while, many have come out of it with greater clarity about who they are and what they’re called to do. That’s showing up in the data in ways that are genuinely encouraging.”
Financial giving has recovered “beyond expectations,” volunteer engagement and programming have “largely rebounded,” and clergy have reported improved well-being, according to the Faith Communities Today project, “Signs of Rebound Amid Uneven Recovery — The Changing Congregational Landscape.”
Researchers also found a sense renewed passion, motivation and direction in many congregations, making congregational life healthier than at any time since the end of the pandemic, they said.
“Across a range of indicators, there are signs of recovery and, in some cases, renewal. These include gains in attendance and financial giving, stronger clarity of mission, greater openness to change, higher levels of volunteering and programmatic engagement, and improved clergy well-being. Overall assessments of congregational strength and outlook are likewise trending in a positive direction,” the report says.
Attendance levels provided the clearest indicator of congregational vitality, the report says. Median attendance in U.S. congregations has reached 70 people, up from the 45 measured in 2021 and 65 before coronavirus outbreak.
But the jump in attendance should be viewed with some reservation given the median was 137 in 2000, the first year the institute began tracking this trend, researchers noted. Also, as struggling congregations close, those losses could create an upward trend in median attendance figures.
In the latest data, Catholic and Orthodox churches report the largest median attendance, at 200, with evangelical Protestants reporting 75, Mainline Protestants 50 and other faiths 22.
Data for the project was gathered from a survey of mostly congregational leaders in 7,453 congregations across numerous denominations and religious groups.
The patterns of growth are more complex than the numbers appear, researchers said. Last year saw as many churches reporting increases in worship attendance as those reporting declines, resulting in a median change rate of 0% from 2020 to 2025.
“While this may sound unremarkable, it represents a significant improvement over recent years where the median change was -7% in 2020 and -17% in 2023. The stability seen in 2025 is itself a positive development.”
But there is daunting news, as well, including “substantial levels of turnover” in congregations across all faith groups. “While there are pockets of growth and flourishing, the overall data on attendance size and change rates still point to a sobering reality: Most congregations are small, and nearly half are shrinking.”
Even so, 2025 was a good year for church attendance, the report notes. “These findings are best understood not as a revival or wholesale transformation, but as a pause or partial reversal within an ongoing period of institutional change.”
Median annual income of U.S. congregations also rose to $205,000 last year, compared to $120,000 in 2020.
A major factor in increased contributions is online and electronic giving, with 58% of congregations providing those options in 2020 versus 76% in 2025.
“Yet important differences in median congregational income remain across groups. Catholic/Orthodox congregations (which tend to be larger) report the highest median income ($300,000), followed by Mainline Protestant ($219,000) and evangelical Protestant ($200,000) congregations. Those in other religious traditions report substantially lower median income ($43,000).”
More evidence of a rebound came in the category of congregational identity. Houses of worship reporting “a clear mission and purpose” increased from a recent low of 32% up to 40% in the most recent data. “This might indicate that many congregations used the first year of the pandemic to clarify who they are and how they want to represent themselves externally,” according to the researchers.
The nationwide survey found 39% of congregations recommitting to attracting new members.
That correlates with more willingness to change, the church leaders told researchers.
“Historically, congregations have not been very open to change, with only about a quarter or less strongly agreeing since 2000,” the report says. “During the pandemic, however, this spiked to 39% when many congregations had no choice but to lean into change and innovation due to the external forces at work in society.”
Last year, congregations’ self-reported willingness to change dropped to 29% but that’s still higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Volunteerism also rebounded, the report says. In 2020, the share of members who regularly volunteered fell to 15% during the pandemic but was measured at 40% in 2025.
Congregational programming beyond worship services also has made a comeback, those surveyed said. “By the time of the 2025 survey, most of these program offerings closely match their pre-pandemic levels, and a few, such as senior and young adult programming, are above their earlier percentages.”
Online worship proliferated during the pandemic, and although it has declined since then the share of congregations streaming services remains higher than before the pandemic. In this study, 69% of congregations said they offered online worship last year, down from 75% in 2023.
Another thing on the rebound is clergy well-being, which was notoriously strained during the pandemic.
Fewer clergy were found to considering leaving ministry last year, with only 8% saying they gave it serious consideration.
The Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations project is a five-year, $5 million initiative funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. and led by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace. The project draws on the Faith Communities Today research collaborative, which has surveyed U.S. congregations since 2000.
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