Half the Pews Empty and a $400,000 Giving Shortfall: US Churches Struggle to Fill Their Buildings Again

• US congregations reported attendance well below pre-pandemic levels at the end of 2021
• An Ohio church that drew 2,500 over three services now held one service of 500
• A Texas congregation faced a US$400,000 shortfall in giving
• Polling showed weekly attendance recovering, but not back to 2019 levels

Nearly two years into the pandemic, many American churches were still trying to fill their buildings again. An Associated Press survey carried by the Jamaica Observer found congregations across the country reporting attendance far below where it had been.

At Westminster United Methodist Church in Houston, attendance at one point fell to three worshippers. It later recovered to about 80 or 85, roughly half the 160 to 170 who came before COVID-19. “It’s frustrating. People just seem to want to leave home less these days,” said Pastor Meredith Mills. At First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio, Bishop Timothy Clarke reported that an average of 2,500 people across three weekend services had fallen to 500 at a single Sunday service. At St Ambrose Catholic Parish in Brunswick, Ohio, weekend attendance fell from 3,800 to 2,800, while more than 1,600 households watched online.

Money followed the numbers. At Friendswood United Methodist Church near Houston, a December reopening drew 650 people, but Pastor Jim Bass reported a US$400,000 shortfall in giving. Attendance through the pandemic had averaged about half that figure. Some congregations did better. At All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, Rev Steven Paulikas said attendance rose from 30 to 120 after a mask policy was introduced.

An AP-NORC poll gave the national picture. Among evangelical Protestants, 37 per cent now attended weekly, up from 11 per cent in May 2020 but below 42 per cent in 2019. Among Catholics the figures were 26 per cent, 5 per cent and 30 per cent.

For churches, the property problem is plain. Large sanctuaries, car parks and multi-service campuses were built and financed for the crowds of 2019. Heating, cooling, insurance and loan repayments stay the same when half the seats are empty. Jamaican churches planning new buildings, and the diaspora members who help pay for them, would do well to plan for smaller, more flexible spaces, streaming as standard and loans that can still be repaid if attendance and giving do not fully return.

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