BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) — “Pews? Where we’re going, we don’t need pews.” Some churchgoers say walking into their church feels like time travel, with ministry that would be at home in the past.
Around 3 in 10 (29%) U.S. Protestant churchgoers say their church’s ministry activities and methods would fit best in a time period before the turn of the new millennium, according to a new study from Lifeway Research. Close to half (52%) say their church’s ministry belongs in the 2000s or later. Another 19% aren’t sure.
Additionally, 2 in 3 (67%) churchgoers feel the conversations at their church are either celebratory of the current ministry (39%) or optimistic about what the future will bring (28%). Fewer are focused on previous glory days in the past (11%) or wondering if their church will exist much longer (5%).
“The pace of changing methods in churches differs greatly, and local churches also exist at different places in their life cycle of growth, decline, renewal or closing,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Most churchgoers notice these shifts and discuss them.”
Dominant decades
Just like bell bottoms were groovy in the 1970s and grunge was awesome in the 1990s, certain types of church activities and ministry methodologies feel like they belong to certain eras.
More than a third of churchgoers (35%) feel their church fits a post-2010s vibe, and 17% place it in the early 2000s. Still, many see previous decades living on in their congregation’s activities and methodology, including 8% in the 1990s, 8% in the 1980s, 5% in the 1970s, 3% in the 1960s, 2% in the 1950s and 2% who feel their church would be at home pre-1950s.
Generally, the larger the church the more likely a person believes the congregation is modern. Almost 2 in 3 (62%) of those attending a church with a worship service attendance of 500 or more say their church fits post 2010s. Less than half (46%) of those at a church with 250 to 499 in attendance say the same, while fewer agree at churches with 100 to 249 (30%), 50 to 99 (29%) and less than 50 (27%).
Churchgoers at normative and smaller-sized churches are more likely to believe their congregation is stuck in the years just before the turn of the century. Those attending churches with worship service attendance of less than 50 (20%), 50 to 99 (19%) and 100 to 249 (19%) are more likely than those at churches of 250 to 499 (10%) or 500 or more (3%) to say their church ministry belongs in the 1980s or 1990s.
Those who attend most often are most likely to believe their church methodology belongs post-2010. Churchgoers who attend four times a month or more are more likely than those who attend less frequently to say their church is modern (39% v. 29%).
Non-denominational churchgoers (45%) are more likely to feel their church is at home post-2010s than Baptists (34%), Lutherans (28%) and those at Restorationist movement churches (28%). Those at non-denominational churches are also least likely to say their congregation belongs to the 1980s (3%). Meanwhile, Methodists (14%) are far more likely than Baptists (2%), Lutherans (2%), those at non-denominational churches (2%) or Presbyterian/Reformed (1%) to say their congregations feel like pre-1950s.
Churchgoers in the Northeast are the most likely to believe their church belongs to the 1950s or 1960s (15%). African Americans (13%) and Hispanics (17%) are more likely than white churchgoers (6%) to say their church ministry fits best in the 1990s.
“The message of the gospel is timeless, but how a local church encourages people to interact with this truth changes over time,” said McConnell. “Innovations in activities and methods are not adopted by every church, and some practices are short-lived if ineffective or not enjoyed.”
Past, present or future?
Around 2 in 5 churchgoers (39%) say the conversation tone at their congregation most often sounds like “This is the best!” celebrating the current ministry. More than a quarter (28%) believe talk is more future-focused — “Things will get better!” — not excited about the present but optimistic about the future.
Around 1 in 10 (11%) hear “Those were the days!” recalling better days in the past. One in 20 (5%) say talk has turned even more dire, with people asking, “Will we make it?” and wondering how much longer the church will exist. Additionally, 11% say none of these, and 5% say not sure.
Unsurprisingly, larger churches are living in the now, while the smallest congregations are worried about the future. Those attending churches with 500 or more in worship attendance (60%) are among the most likely to say conversations focus on celebrating the current ministry. They’re also the least likely to say the tone centers around recalling better days in the past (2%).
Small and normative churches are the most likely to have people asking, “Will we make it?” Those attending congregations with worship attendance of less than 50 (13%) and 50 to 99 (9%) are more likely than those with attendance of 100 to 249 (1%), 250 to 499 (1%) and 500 or more (2%) to wonder how much longer the church will exist.
Restorationist movement churchgoers (16%) and Baptists (14%) are more likely than those at non-denominational churches (7%) to hear a conversation tone of “Those were the days.” Churchgoers who attend one to three times a month (15%) are also more likely than those who attend more frequently (8%) to say the way people talk recalls better times in the past.
Those in the West (46%) are more likely than those in the Northeast (31%) to hear “This is the best!” Churchgoers in the Northeast (36%) are more likely than those in the Midwest (24%) to say the conversations sound like “Things will get better!”
Different ethnicities say they hear different conversations at their congregations. White churchgoers (42%) are among the most likely to say the tone is celebrating current ministry. African Americans (15%) are among the most likely to hear people recalling better days in the past. Hispanics (44%) and African Americans (36%) are among the most likely to say people are not excited about the present but optimistic about the future.
Churchgoers 65 and older (20%) are the least likely to say the tone of the conversation in their congregation sounds like “Things will get better!”
“Stories of lives being changed are more commonly told within large churches, so it is not surprising they are the most likely to celebrate current ministry,” said McConnell. “Churches that close are typically down to their last few members, which coincides with this worry existing mostly among small churches.”
The decade in which churchgoers feel their church’s ministry belongs contributes to the tone of the congregational conversations. Churchgoers who believe their congregation fits on this side of the new millennium are more likely to say they hear conversations that sound like “This is the best!” Those who feel their church is at home before the year 2000 are more likely to say they hear people saying, “Those were the days!”
For more information, view the complete report and visit LifewayResearch.com.
Methodology
The online survey of 1,008 American Protestant churchgoers was conducted Sept. 19-29, 2023, using a national pre-recruited panel. Respondents were screened to include those who identified as Protestant/non-denominational and attend religious services at least once a month. Quotas and slight weights were used to balance gender, age, region, ethnicity, education and religion to reflect the population more accurately. The completed sample is 1,008 surveys. The sample provides 95% confidence that the sampling error from the panel does not exceed plus or minus 3.2%. This margin of error accounts for the effect of weighting. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Aaron Earls is a writer for LifeWay Christian Resources.)
