The team at MortarStone enjoys a partnership with Tony Morgan and the Unstuck Group, who provide church consulting for churches across the spectrum. These churches range from those experiencing dynamic growth all the way to churches that are in decline. The Unstuck Group provides a great report each quarter based on the trends they see in American churches. Here are some of the quick insights from their latest findings:
- Church attendance is down by 28% on average and is no longer being offset by online viewers.
- Church giving is flat lined, although the number of giving units is down 9%, meaning fewer people are giving more money in order to maintain the budget.
- Even though church attendance is down churches have not reduced the size of their staffs.
- Baptisms have increased greatly, suggesting that attendance gains are from new people versus pre-pandemic members returning to worship.
There’s more within the report that you’ll want to consider as you assess your own ministry context.