As every church leader knows, what’s happening in your church is always influenced by what’s occurring in the culture. With rapidly changing cultural trends in church attendance, it’s essential to pay attention to these 5 attendance trends heading into 2024, especially for church leaders hoping to see growth and reach more people.
First, the bad news: church attendance is declining due to America becoming a post-Christian culture. According to Pew Research, the number of Americans identifying as atheists, agnostics, or non-religious has risen significantly. This cultural shift has had a direct impact on church attendance.
Some of the trends contributing to the decline in church attendance include the aging of senior pastors with the average age of 60 in 2024, the decline in Boomer attendance and the increased attendance of Millennials, the reliance of 27% of churchgoers on online church, the disappearance of stable churches, and the boost in church attendance through online services.
While the decline in church attendance is concerning, there are also promising trends, such as the surge in Millennial attendance, especially among non-white Millennials, and the significant growth reported by 33% of churches. Additionally, church online services have proven to be robust, with median attendance increasing when combined with in-person attendance.
The bottom line is that the church is facing a period of consolidation, with some churches gaining momentum and others experiencing decline. The trend of church online is here to stay and offers growth opportunities for church leaders to reach more people. The key is not to neglect the task of reaching unchurched people and to continue fulfilling the mission of reaching people for Christ.
