As America marks one year of pandemic-related shutdowns this week, new research offers encouragement for pastors wondering whether in-person church attendance will eventually bounce back. Churches, along with almost every other sector of society, had to drastically alter their operations because of COVID-19. But as vaccination percentages increase and the virus threat decreases, worship services are likely to fill back to pre-pandemic numbers.

That’s a key takeaway from a recent Lifeway Research study of 1,000 Protestant churchgoers. When gathering in large groups is deemed safe again, 91% of respondents say they plan to worship in person as frequently as they did before March of 2020. Of those, 23% indicate they expect to attend services more than they did prior to the pandemic. By contrast, only six percent of churchgoers say they’ll attend less than before, and only one percent say they won’t return to in-person worship at all. Read more …