The Two Largest Groups Who Have Not Returned to In-Person Worship Since COVID

“I really want to see all of our members return to in-person services. I really miss them.”

This sentence was from a pastor in North Carolina. We were in a conversation about a church consultation. His comments quickly turned to the often-asked question today: When will our churches get back to normal?

As I have noted on several occasions, if “normal” means pre-COVID behavior, we will not return at all. We will, however, experience a new normal. We have to be ready for it when it comes.

I have notes from recent conversations with over 60 pastors. Some of the conversations were by Zoom or phone, others were interactions at Church Answers. While 60 conversations do not constitute a large sample, they do provide us some guidance on reality in churches today.

In that regard, we are hearing about the two largest groups who have not returned to in-person service. These groups are mentioned consistently when we hear from church leaders. Read More

Among the reasons that seniors are not returning to in-person services is that pastors, staff, and other church members are dismissive of their safety concerns. They may also know the other members too well to believe that they are following state and local public health guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus and to mitigate its effects. The vaccine rollout has been slow and uneven in their particular region and community.  Reports of unexplained deaths, serious allergic reactions,  and  vaccinated individuals testing positive for the virus afterwards have eroded their confidence in vaccination against the virus. Age, experience, and health issues makes then more risk adverse than younger people. They are more aware of the fragility of live and their own mortality. They also tend to be more skeptical. A spate of online articles and podcasts hyping the importance of church attendance in response to declining attendance has not helped. They question the motives of those who wrote the articles and made the podcasts, particularly those whose which minimize the seriousness of the pandemic and chide non-returnees for their fearfulness and lack of faith. Those who wrote the articles and made the podcasts in their way of thinking appear more concerned with filling pews than addressing their safety concerns.