HOW CHURCH LEADERS ARE RESPONDING

TO THE CHALLENGES OF

COVID-19
THIRD ROUND SURVEY

COVID-19 Church Survey Survey coordinated by The Billy

Summary Report Graham Center’s Send Institute,
Exponential, and ARC.
June 16, 2020
COVID-19 Church Survey Summary Report – 3rd Edition
Survey coordinated by The Billy Graham Center’s Send Institute, Exponential, and ARC.
1
 COVID-19 Survey of Pastors and Church Leaders
Third Round Survey – June 16, 2020

Churches Experiment with In-person Gatherings but Many Are Split and
Unsure About Their Return
After three months of shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders, states and local governments have begun
loosening their guidelines, allowing some businesses to return to in-person operations. And just as churches have
begun settling into virtual services and more decentralized ways of doing ministry, church leaders are now faced
with the decision to return to in-person corporate gatherings or to continue as they have been.

Much of the tension experienced by church leaders in this time comes from the desire to exercise the right of
religious assembly while understanding the risk of coronavirus spread. In some states, churches have taken legal
action against what they perceive as an infringement of First Amendment rights. Still, others would insist that
the most compassionate and civically responsible action to
take would be to continue hosting virtual services until the “ While some churches have indeed
levels of risk are greatly mitigated. begun returning to in-person
In the last few weeks, some churches have begun hosting corporate worship gatherings,
in-person worship gatherings again, meeting at a much lower most have still not returned and
capacity than before the pandemic. The focus of this survey many from among those are still
was to discover the state of churches returning to in-person uncertain about their timeline.”
gatherings as of late spring and into the summer months.
Because there is a projected increase of coronavirus spread in the fall, monitoring the confidence of churches
assembling during the summer can perhaps help leaders better prepare for the fall if a spike should indeed
occur. This confidence can be gauged by understanding how quickly churches intend to return and at what
capacity they are returning based on their state guidelines and restrictions.

The efforts of this survey and report are done in partnership with the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center’s
Send Institute, Exponential, and the Association of Related Churches (ARC). The survey was administered June
1-12, 2020 through an online form distributed by Exponential to church leaders from their constituency and
received 767 responses from 46 states.

The overall findings are that while some churches have indeed begun returning to in-person corporate worship
gatherings, most have still not returned and many from among those are still uncertain about their timeline.
Those who are returning are having to make accommodations for many of their church members who are
not yet ready to return. Those who have not returned are having to provide meaningful virtual engagement,
especially for church members who are eager to return. This reveals a tension that church leaders have begun
navigating, as many are now having to lead congregations through the summer with a split difference of opinion
on whether to return or not.

There are four specific findings from this report church leaders may find insightful as they continue to make
decisions for the summer and fall. Each section includes an analysis from the survey and helpful suggestions to
keep church members engaged amid this phase of the pandemic.

Firstly, most churches have the potential to gather at some

capacity but a large majority (67%) still have not yet gathered.

The capacity at which a church is allowed to gather is one of the indicators for when a church expects to return
to in-person gatherings. How churches return largely depends on how they abide by the specific state and local
restrictions and guidelines.

COVID-19 Church Survey Summary Report – 3rd Edition

Survey coordinated by The Billy Graham Center’s Send Institute, Exponential, and ARC.
1
Church leaders were asked, “Given your state’s mandates, how much of your church can potentially gather at a
time for in-person corporate worship gatherings?” Only 6% responded they were in a state or a region that could
not gather in-person at all. Twenty-five percent of church leaders indicated they were able to gather up to half of
their usual attendance, while only 14% indicated they could gather their entire congregation.

Some states or regions have placed a hard cap on the number of people that can gather. Twenty percent of
church leaders say that they can only gather up to 50 people. However, there is still a big disparity between the
ability to gather and actually gathering.

Given your state's mandates, how much of your church can potentially gather at a time for
in-person corporate worship gatherings?

14% 6%
10%
5%

20%
25%

21%

We cannot gather in-person at all Up to 10 people Up to 50 people Up to 25% of our usual attendance
Up to 50% of our usual attendance Up to 75% of our usual attendance Up to 100% of our usual attendance

Regardless of restrictions and guidelines, 67% say their churches have not yet begun gathering. 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. 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.

The churches least likely to gather right now are churches

“ Most are seeing less than half of
their congregation attend.”
with 1000+ in pre-pandemic attendance. Eighty percent of
church leaders from large churches indicate that they are
not yet gathering. Compare this to other church sizes: 501 to
1000 (66%), 101 to 500 (61%), 51 to 100 (65%), and less than
50 (65%).

From among the 33% that have returned to in-person

gatherings, most are seeing less than half of their
congregation attend. And the overwhelming majority indicate that their meetings are abbreviated or have taken
some other format than their pre-pandemic services. Only 18% indicate their gatherings have returned to their
usual meeting format.

COVID-19 Church Survey Summary Report – 3rd Edition

Survey coordinated by The Billy Graham Center’s Send Institute, Exponential, and ARC.
2
 Taking Advantage of Your Gathering Capacity for Equipping
Most churches can safely gather in groups of at least 10. This means that small groups can begin meeting
not only for home fellowship but also for equipping and leadership development. Consider taking time
this summer to create small gatherings to meaningfully invest in your leaders and ministry volunteers.
Churches can rotate small group meetings in their facilities. Leaders can regularly gather to strategize
mission and ministry opportunities. While you can do this virtually, taking advantage of the in-person can
prepare some for when the church begins meeting together again in a larger group.

Secondly, half of churches will return to in-person worship gatherings

by June but almost a third are still not sure yet about their return (28%).

While a majority of churches are not yet meeting, many are planning their return at the beginning of this
summer. Eighteen percent of church leaders say their churches have been meeting since at least May, and 33%
indicate their churches will be meeting in June sometime. This would mean that by the end of this month, half of
churches will have some sort of in-person worship service. Another 20% of churches will plan to meet before
the fall.

However, this leaves 28% of respondents who are still unsure if and when they will begin meeting again. A few of
the reasons have already been listed above, and along with the projected increase in coronavirus cases in the fall,
some churches are preemptively waiting longer to tell.

In a phone conversation with a pastor of a large church in a region with over 7300 confirmed cases and 159
COVID-19 related deaths, he admitted that while the numbers are still relatively low in his region, the church
leaders are still uncertain whether or not they will return to in-person gatherings before 2021. As a large church
in a region with significant restrictions, it does not make sense to church leadership to hold worship services for
only a small percentage of their congregation while risking the chance of increasing the number of coronavirus
cases in their community. Their plan is to continue month by month and to improve their virtual engagement,
with possibly some small group meetings.

1%
1%
9%
6%
1%
9%
16%
6% 40%
11%

37%
24%

32%
16% 13%
Urban Suburban Rural
2% 1% 2%

COVID-19 Church Survey Summary Report – 3rd Edition

Survey coordinated by The Billy Graham Center’s Send Institute, Exponential, and ARC.
3
Urban churches are least likely to return before the summer. Only 40% of respondents in urban contexts indicate
that they will be returning to in-person gatherings by June. Compare this to church leaders from suburban (50%)
and rural contexts (72%). Thirty-two percent of urban church leaders are not sure when they will return while
only 16% of rural church leaders feel the same.

While the fall dynamics are still too far away to tell, churches are displaying both courage and caution in
returning to in-person gatherings this summer.

Use Your Return to as a “Relaunch” to Reach New People

For the last few months, you have probably been getting your church settled into pandemic life with not
much opportunity to think about trying new things. Whether you just began meeting or are still planning
your return, you have an opportunity to try something new that could reach new people. Many churches
have seen returning to worship gatherings as a “re-launch” of their church. Every church is a church plant!
This could be a chance to try out a new worship service format or it could mean that you are taking your
small groups and turning them into missional communities.

Thirdly, a significant number of church leaders feel their members

are split on whether to return to in-person gatherings right now.

Church leaders ranked church membership care as their top priority followed by weekend services and
evangelism. When asked about the level of influence church members had on returning to in-person corporate
worship, the largest responses were “Some influence to return sooner” (38%), “Some influence to wait longer”
(22%), and “No influence” (20%).

In addition to figuring out technology and implementing

social-distancing, the pandemic has posed another challenge “ Churches are displaying both
for church leaders from within their congregations. courage and caution in returning to
in-person gatherings this summer.”
As we progress further into the stages of the pandemic and
businesses are opening up more, this has created a sense of
frustration in church members. Some are feeling frustrated
because their churches are not yet gathering while businesses, especially large corporate ones, are almost fully
operational. Others are feeling frustrated because their church is gathering, or planning to do so, while the
number of coronavirus cases continues to climb.

COVID-19 Church Survey Summary Report – 3rd Edition

Survey coordinated by The Billy Graham Center’s Send Institute, Exponential, and ARC.
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When asked about their current situation, 28% of church leaders indicated that “the church is close to evenly
split on whether to return to in-person meetings now”, the largest response from all categories.

Which of the following best describes your church situation?

A significant percentage of church leaders say either “A majority of the church support returning to in-person
meetings now” (22%) or “A majority of the church support continuing our current online meetings” (17%).
Looking at churches as a whole across the nation, these figures do not show a uniform sense of how churches
feel about returning. A large number of churches feel split about returning, and it would seem that across the
nation, churches are split about returning.

In the oncoming months, church leaders will have to make the right decisions on behalf of their churches and
communities. For some churches, this may mean that they will meet sooner than they expected. For other
churches, it means waiting just a little longer. In some spare cases, it may even mean having to stop in-person
worship gatherings, again, after restarting them for only just a few weeks.

Repurpose Tension for Greater Commitment to Mission

While it is important to pay attention to what church members believe is best for the congregation
and community, tension is often the occasion to cast vision for what is the true purpose and mission of
the local church. A return to a gathering should be done with a commitment to keep scattering for the
mission. And a commitment to remain scattered should be done for Kingdom’s sake, and not out of fear
or apathy. Addressing people’s underlying fear by reminding them of God’s purpose for your church in the
community can help transcend the conversation beyond just whether to return on Sundays.

COVID-19 Church Survey Summary Report – 3rd Edition

Survey coordinated by The Billy Graham Center’s Send Institute, Exponential, and ARC.
5
 Finally, state leadership is the greatest factor for why churches
are waiting longer to reopen while federal and denominational
leadership have the least influence overall.

While this may not come as a huge surprise, it is important to remember that how churches are planning to
return to in-person gatherings reflects both their civil freedom as well as their witness as Christians, especially
amid what can become a very divisive issue.

Church leaders were asked about how the following categories influenced their return to in-person corporate
worship:

• Denomination/Network leadership

• Local/municipal leadership

• State/provincial leadership

• Federal leadership

• President Trump calling churches “essential places of faith to open right now”

• Other churches

• Our church members

• Our church’s leaders (staff, elders, deacons, etc.)

They were asked to rank each category’s level of influence based on this scale:

• No influence

• Some influence to wait longer

• Significant influence to wait longer

• Some influence to return sooner

• Significant influence to return sooner

The categories that had the largest percentage indicating

“ It is important to remember that
how churches are planning to
return to in-person gatherings
reflects both their civil freedom as
well as their witness as Christians.”
“Some” to “Significant influence to wait longer” was State/
provincial leadership at 67% and both Local/municipal
leadership and Our church’s leaders at 52%.
The categories that had the largest percentage indicating
“Some” to “Significant influence to return sooner” was Our
church members at 47% and Our church’s leaders at 39%.

The largest category with “No influence” on church leaders

was President Trump calling churches “essential places of faith to open right now” at 61%. However, 34%
indicated that the president’s statement had “Some” to “Significant influence to return sooner”.

Fifty-nine percent indicated Denomination/Network leadership and 47% indicated Federal Leadership had “No
influence” as well.

Only 10% of respondents felt that Our church’s leaders had “No influence” over returning.

COVID-19 Church Survey Summary Report – 3rd Edition

Survey coordinated by The Billy Graham Center’s Send Institute, Exponential, and ARC.
6
 Be Involved Citizens and a Public Witness
Part of being a responsible citizen is to ensure that the rights of churches and other religious groups to
assemble are not being infringed upon. In addition, it is a part of our public witness as Christians to be at
peace with our local leaders and to honor them as they make decisions to keep our communities safe. This
is a crucial time for church leaders to get to know their municipality and state leaders. As a church leader,
it is worth the time getting to know your city council representative or alderman, your county clerk, and
your state senators. They are in need of your prayers and encouragement. Your voice will matter more if
you already have an established relationship with them.

Conclusion

The first survey conducted revealed that at the end of March, churches were frantically pivoting to get worship
services online and to meaningfully engage and care for church members as well as effectively serve their
community while in quarantine. Just as the rest of the world was experiencing it, the speed at which the
pandemic created change was more than enough for church leaders to handle. There were many uncertain
things to worry about such as creating meaningful connections for members and the financial future of the
church, but pastors and leaders were responding with the best of their ability and intentions.

The second survey conducted revealed that over a month into the pandemic, church leaders were both
optimistic but also tired. For some, the new kind of innovative ministry in addition to added time at home with
the family created a surge of energy and encouragement. Moreover, while giving trends seemed to be down for
many churches, there remained an optimism around church finances. Some churches even saw an increase over
their regular giving. However, the survey also revealed that a large number of pastors were working longer hours
than usual which meant that the summer would be a crucial time for their rejuvenation.

The data in this survey suggests that church leaders across the nation are cautiously planning their return to in-
person worship gatherings this summer. However, the return to in-person gatherings is not as simple as turning
on a light switch. Many precautionary measures are being put into place to ensure health and safety for church
members and the community at large. For some churches,
their current virtual gatherings and their new norm of doing
ministry are working well enough not to risk meeting, but
instead to ensure safety and preserve energy for when they
“ The return to in-person
are able to meet at full capacity. gatherings is not as simple as
turning on a light switch.”
While we are seeing greater levels of what the “new norm”
looks like in this stage of the pandemic, the future of how
churches will meet and do ministry in the fall is no less
uncertain than it was before. However, the courage and caution that some churches are taking during the
summer months to meet will hopefully offer its members some reprieve from the several months of shelter-in-
place orders, and hopefully, refresh the few that are attending through in-person worship and fellowship.

Regardless of whether churches are meeting in-person or not, this summer is a wonderful time to take
advantage of granting leaders rejuvenation and a vision for the next season. Those who are taking advantage
of virtual, small, and large group gatherings to equip and inspire their leaders this summer will likely find a more
motivated and fresh leadership team for the fall and for beyond the pandemic.

Report by Daniel Yang, Ed Stetzer, Todd Wilson, and Andrew MacDonald

COVID-19 Church Survey Summary Report – 3rd Edition

Survey coordinated by The Billy Graham Center’s Send Institute, Exponential, and ARC.
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This resource is provided in a collaborative effort by:

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