Most Churches Have Chosen Not to Return to In-Person Services, Survey Finds

A new survey says that most churches have not returned to in-person services, and many are uncertain about the future of worship gatherings.

The survey is from the Wheaton Billy Graham Center’s Send Institute, Exponential, and the Association of Related Churches. Some 767 responses were recorded for the study.

In a key finding, the survey showed that most churches have the potential to meet for in-person services, but 67 percent have not.

“Some church leaders explain that while they are allowed to gather in some capacity, the health and safety of their congregation and community outweigh their ability and desire to gather,” the study said. “Others have shared that restrictions on congregational singing, hesitation from ministry volunteers, and the inability to linger before and after services for conversations, greatly reduce the value of their in-person gatherings.

About 33 percent of pastors reported their churches have returned to in-person gatherings, but only about half of the congregation is attending.

As expected, 80 percent of large churches, those who boasted an attendance greater than 1,000 before the nationwide quarantines, reported they are not meeting.

In another key finding, half of churches will most likely return to in-person gathering this month, but about a third said they aren’t sure.

The survey said that one pastor said that “it does not make sense…