Faith Revival: U.S. Church Attendance Sees First Uptick in 25 Years, Report Finds

Following a quarter-century of steady decline and pandemic-era struggles, American churches are finally seeing a shift: church attendance is rising. A new report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research reveals an uptick in median worship attendance for the first time in two decades, paired with increased volunteerism and renewed optimism among clergy.The study, which surveyed leaders at 7,453 congregations between September and December 2025, including 24,000 churchgoers from more than 80 denominations, highlights a surprising turnaround.“Across a range of indicators, there are signs of recovery and, in some cases, renewal,” the study’s authors wrote.Median in-person attendance, which previously plummeted from 137 adults in 2000 to just 45 during the COVID-19 pandemic, has rebounded to 70 adults. This surpasses the median attendance of 65 recorded in the institute’s 2020 Faith Communities Today survey. As the report noted, “This is the first positive gain in median attendance in 25 years.”The director of the Hartford Institute, Scott Thumma, said that researchers expected the long-term trend of withdrawal to continue, so “we were pretty surprised when we saw the 2025 data.”According to the report, eight percent of congregants had never attended services before the pandemic, while 38 percent joined their current church since the pandemic. The ability to attend online contributed to the gain with 26 percent saying they mix their online and in-person attendance or attend solely or primarily online.“People no longer need to be physically present or even remember to give in the moment,” Mr. Thumma said. Finances have also seen a boost, largely due to digital adaptation, the survey suggests. Median income of religious institutions grew from $120,000 in 2020 to $165,000 in 2025, with churches offering online giving rising 58 percent over the same period.“These findings shed light onto the changing patterns of attender participation that we can’t easily observe,” the director said. “For those who have remained as active participants in their churches, the pandemic seems to have been a catalyst to strengthen their faith, increase their giving, and explore new ways of enhancing their spiritual practices.”He added that the rise in participation has positively affected the clergy, with fewer considering leaving the ministry. “It’s not too surprising; if the congregations are feeling better and more volunteers are showing up, the clergy are going to start feeling better,” Mr. Thumma said.

Faith Revival: U.S. Church Attendance Sees First Uptick in 25 Years, Report Finds

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