93 Percent of America’s Churches Have Stopped Meeting, Poll Shows

Only 7 percent of Protestant churches met in-person last weekend, and even fewer plan to meet for Easter in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new survey by LifeWay Research.

The poll found that 99 percent of Protestant pastors were meeting March 1 – the first Sunday of the month – although that percentage fell each succeeding week:

• 95 percent met March 8
• 64 percent met March 15
• 11 percent met March 22
• 7 percent met March 29

Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, said the shift was even more prominent among churches with 200 or more attendees.

“Gathering for worship as a local church is a fundamental expression of the body of Christ, but so are valuing life and loving others,” McConnell said in an online analysis. “As mitigation guidance first impacted large churches, the majority of churches with 200 or more attendees were not meeting by March 15, and only 1 percent of them met March 22 as guidance continued to shift.”

Only 3 percent of churches said they will meet in-person on Easter “no matter what.” Nearly half (47 percent) already have decided to cancel services, according to LifeWay Research.

Meanwhile, 92 percent of churches are live-streaming their services or providing members with a pre-recorded video. According to the poll:

1. 43 percent of pastors said they “livestreamed a sermon or worship service this last month because of the…