Pastors report rising worship attendance, but fewer new commitments to Christ: study
While most pastors report increased church attendance, a recent study finds that the share of attendees who are new converts or previously unchurched has declined sharply over the last decade.
Lifeway Research posted a report on Tuesday finding that 54% of more than 1,000 surveyed Protestant pastors said average worship attendance at their churches has increased by at least 4% since 2023.
The average pastor reported a 16% increase since 2023, while 30% said attendance has plateaued and 16% reported a decline in attendance at their churches.
Although a slight majority of pastors reported growth since 2023, the share of pastors reporting no new commitments to Christ in their churches increased from 6% in 2016 to 9% in 2025.
In 2016, Lifeway data shows the average congregation had 16 commitments per 100 worship attendees. By 2025, that number had dipped to 11 commitments per 100 attendees.
When examining the percentage of churches in which over 10% of newcomers were previously unchurched, the report found the figure declined from 63% in 2016 to 44% last year.
“This data does not automatically mean the Gospel is being shared less than it was a decade ago, but it does show fewer people are responding to the Gospel message in the United States,” Lifeway Research Executive Director Scott McConnell said.
“This sad reality should motivate churches to pray for the salvation of those in their communities and to redouble efforts to equip and mobilize their congregations to share the good news of Jesus Christ.”
The new report draws from a survey conducted Sept. 2–24, 2025, of 1,003 Protestant pastors, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3% at the 95% confidence level.
The 2025 data was compared with data from a January 2016 survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors conducted by Lifeway Research for the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center.
The Lifeway Research data comes amid multiple reports of rising church attendance in the United States since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.
In April, for example, the Hartford Institute for Religion Research’s Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations project found that, among nearly 7,500 surveyed congregations, median in-person worship attendance in 2025 was 70 people — higher than the 65 reported just before the 2020 lockdowns.
In its 2025 report, Lifeway notes that the average number of church attendees reported by surveyed pastors was 183, up from 176 in the fall of 2023. Meanwhile, the media attendance jumped from 90 to 100.
In 2025, nearly a third (32%) of pastors reported attendance between 100 and 249; 22% said their churches had fewer than 50 attendees, and 27% reported attendance between 50 and 99. About 18% reported averaging 250 or more attendees for a typical weekend service.
“Given the trajectory of many churches before COVID, we expected to see more pastors reporting declines in attendance,” McConnell said. “However, we continue to see a majority of pastors saying their attendance is higher than two years ago.”
“More people are attending worship services because people in the congregation attend more often," McConnell added. "While attendance is rising, the portion of attendees who are new converts or previously unchurched has declined."
