Liturgy in the Living Room: New Study Shows Online Church Isn’t Killing In-Person Attendance

New data from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research identifies how faith practices have shifted, and in some cases, remained unchanged, in the five years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 EPIC Attender Survey gathered responses from a representative sample of more than 24,000 churchgoers across the United States. Survey respondents included mainline and evangelical Protestants as well as Catholics; 85% of respondents belong to congregations offering some form of online worship.

Faith leaders have struggled to understand their online attendees since the pandemic began. Delivering online worship requires significant resources and constant improvement, leading to frustration about knowing so little about viewers on platforms such as YouTube, Faceboo, and Vimeo. Consequently, the Hartford Institute’s findings are essential for churches navigating the complexities of hybrid ministry and making decisions about their long-term digital strategies. The data addresses two primary questions that are of particular relevance to digital ministry: who participates in online worship and what activities do they engage in during online services?

Online church shoppers?

First, who is worshipping online? It’s not everyone. Most of the congregation still prefers the physical sanctuary. Far from a large swath of members who have switched their worship habits to the internet (as is sometimes feared by faith leaders), online attendees are a small group of people who switch between online and in-person. Findings from the 2024 EPIC Attender Survey reveal that 26% of participants regularly engage in online worship. A significant portion, 19%, move between online and in-person attendance. This segment often consists of younger individuals with children, who have likely increased their church involvement post-pandemic. For these active members, balancing family, work, and travel, online church provides essential accessibility and connection. Without it, church participation would often be challenging. However, a smaller group, representing only 4% of respondents, primarily attends online and demonstrates lower engagement and giving levels compared to those who alternate.

The survey also addresses the question of what online attendees are doing while worshipping online. Here, there are two important findings: Many are church-hopping, and most are multi-tasking. Those who attend online tend to connect with more than one congregation. More than half, 46% of online attendees, attend or view other church services, and 7% identify as having more than one “home” church. 

“Church hopping” is a challenging trend for faith leaders in that it invites Christians to be more selective, empowering the church-goer to constantly evaluate which churches match their theological convictions, denominational preferences and increasingly their political leanings. It also invites the churchgoer to find a community with preaching, liturgy and music that is attuned to their personal preferences. This inevitably places competitive pressures on clergy and church leaders. While church hopping creates a retention challenge, it also provides an outreach opportunity. The survey data found that 63% of new attenders cite alignment with beliefs, values, and preferences as very important. Online worship provides a low-risk “test drive” for prospective members looking to validate the fit of a new church home. 

While worshipping online, church goers tend to multitask. Just as Zoom meeting attendees tend to check their email and scroll their news feeds during a discussion, online worshippers also tend to split their focus. More than 60% of survey respondents work on other tasks while participating in worship online. They fold the laundry while participating in the liturgy. They drive to swimming lessons while listening to the sermon. Yet multi-tasking does not equate with disengagement. Almost all respondents (95%) said they pray or meditate during the service, while 71% sing along to the music. And, 87% of respondents are satisfied with their experience.

This is a paradox of church online. The attendee may be working on multiple tasks, yet they are still attuned to the service. Some faith leaders might lament that the ministry multi-tasker is disingenuous or disengaged, and that church online is merely “cheap grace.” It’s just as plausible to conclude that the multi-tasker is meaningfully connecting with their faith outside the walls of the sanctuary, and that streaming helps one’s faith to permeate daily life. Ministry multi-tasking presents an opportunity for a faith community to provide a taste of grace and inspiration as congregants navigate daily vocations.

As the pandemic waned, some church leaders expressed concerns over livestream worship cutting into in-person attendance. Given the resources required to produce, record, edit, and curate online worship, it’s common for leaders to wonder whether they should continue offering digital forms of community. The Hartford Institute’s new data suggests that offering a live stream does not reduce in-person attendance, nor does it erode the importance of belonging to a faith community. Rather, online worship provides new pathways to connect within and beyond the congregation. It extends the reach of the church’s message, providing a satisfying and edifying encounter with faith in day-to-day experience. Far from an activity specific to the pandemic, online worship ought to be a long-term strategic priority.

Ryan Panzer is the author of “Grace and Gigabytes: Being Church in a Tech-Shaped Culture” (Fortress Press, 2020) and “The Holy and the Hybrid: Navigating the Church’s Digital Reformation” (Fortress Press, 2022). He has spent his career in the worlds of church leadership and technology. He received his M.A. from Luther Seminary while simultaneously working for Google. Panzer serves as a learning and leadership development professional in the technology industry and as a speaker and writer on digital technology in the church. He also serves as the Resident Theologian at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Madison, WI. For more writings and resources, visit www.ryanpanzer.com.