90 Percent of Churches Did Not Meet in April and Few Ready to Resume ‘Normal Activities’

Nine out of 10 Protestant churches in the U.S. did not meet in-person during the month of April amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and few pastors say they will resume all normal activities right away when government restrictions are lifted, according to a new LifeWay Research poll.

The survey of pastors showed that 90 percent of Protestant churches did not meet in-person during April – a similar finding to a previous poll in which 93 percent of churches did not meet in-person the final week of March. Most state and local governments did not begin restricting in-person meetings until the middle of March.

Even on Easter Sunday, 93 percent of Protestant churches did not meet.

Churches out West are the most likely to say they never halted in-person meetings.

“By the end of March, the gravity of the pandemic had changed churches’ behavior across the nation,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “The need for precautions did not change throughout April and churches maintained their temporary avoidance of gathering physically.”

Few churches have plans to resume all normal activities when government restrictions and guidance are lifted. For example:

• 16 percent of pastors say they’ll resume “all normal activities” right away.
• 23 percent will wait a few additional weeks and then resume activities gradually.
• 7 percent will resume meetings for…