2 in 5 Churchgoers Are Open to Inviting Others to Digital Church Services
According to research conducted by Barna , as COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the U . S ., local and state governments continue to implement new mandates and restrictions that effect how Americans gather — both inside and outside the home . Many church leaders are now contemplating how a socially distant season will impact invitations , attendance , and outreach for services . Churchgoers Extend Digital Church Invitations , but Still Favor Invitations to In-Person Services . Six in 10 churched Christians ( 62 %) hope that , even post-COVID-19 , churches will keep using digital means of gathering people together . As such , they ’ re keen to play a role in inviting friends , family or acquaintances to participate in online services — but in-person gatherings are still the more appealing invitational environment . Nearly two-thirds of churched Christians ( 64 %) say they ’ re open to inviting someone to attend an in-person service . In contrast , four in 10
( 40 %) say they ’ re open to inviting someone to join them for an online church service . Those who attend a church which successfully blended digital and in-person ministry even before the COVID-19 crisis are almost twice as likely to say they actually prefer inviting someone to online church rather than to in-person services ( 48 % vs . 29 % of those who did not attend a church that engaged congregants well both digitally and physically pre-pandemic ). More familiarity with digital and hybrid environments seems to accompany more confidence in bringing others into that space . Beyond services , churchgoers are much less open to extending invitations to other activities like classes and conversation groups , no matter the context . Six in 10 churched adults ( 61 %) report that , during the COVID-19 response , they have been extending the same number of church invitations ( digital or otherwise ) as they did before the pandemic . One in six ( 14 %) reports they are offering more invitations during this time , while one-quarter ( 25 %) says they are offering fewer . Naturally , churched adults who express being more comfortable with extending invitations to online services are also quite likely to be offering more church invitations during the pandemic , though even among this group , just over one-quarter ( 27 %) reports an increase . Overall , about half of all unchurched adults ( 52 %)— including three-quarters of those who are non-Christians ( 73 %)— wouldn ’ t be interested in any invitation , to any church or faith environment . For these non-Christians , an online church service , viewed alone , is the only activity for which the percentage who would consider participation reaches double digits ( 12 %). This suggests that formal communal participation , unlike solo spiritual exploration or relational discussion , isn ’ t a starting point for many outside the church .
How Faith Heritage Relates to Faith Practice
In a recent Barna report produced in partnership with Lutheran Hour Ministries , a majority of practicing Christians say they became Christians long before adulthood . This is true regardless of the type of household practicing Christians now occupy . For most practicing Christian adults in this study , the early , formative days of discipleship occur in their family of origin . ( As the goal of this research was to look at faith formation among households , individuals living by themselves are excluded from this study . Usually , respondents say Christianity was “ passed down ” to them by a particular relative ( 59 %), though sometimes another family member was exploring faith around the same time as the respondent ( 11 %). More than half of those who report growing up in the faith ( 57 %) say they were Christian at the time of their birth , a response that is revealing either of their theology or of how extensively Christianity permeated their upbringing . Over one-third of respondents came to faith for reasons other than a positive interaction in their upbringing , including one in four ( 23 %) who says it occurred in spite of a negative example of Christianity in the home . Typically , individuals without strong family roots in the religion say they became Christians later in their youth or , as is the case for 55 % of this group , during adulthood . Practicing Christians most often credit their parents as the individuals who helped impart faith to them . In this and other responses throughout the study , it appears that spiritual development in the home is driven by mothers . Two-thirds ( 68 %) say they were most influenced by the Christian model of their mothers , compared to less than half ( 46 %) who point to their fathers .
20 CHURCH EXECUTIVE | JAN / FEB 2021