HIRR Staff Share How COVID-19 Reshaped American Religious Life

By Staff of Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations (EPIC)

As we mark the fifth anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hartford Institute for Religion Research’s “Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations” (EPIC) project offers a unique window into how American religious communities navigated this unprecedented crisis.

What began as an emergency response to immediate challenges evolved into a profound transformation of congregational life in America. Our longitudinal research, spanning from mid-2021 to present day, tells a story of resilience, adaptation, and, ultimately, renewal.

The Initial Shock: Churches Respond to Crisis

When we launched our first survey in summer 2021, the impact was already evident. Our data from 2,074 congregations across 38 Christian denominations revealed a religious landscape dramatically altered. With 83% of churches reporting at least one COVID-positive member and many deaths, virtually no congregation was untouched by the virus.

Worship practices underwent their most significant transformation in generations. By mid-2021, 80% of churches offered hybrid services, combining in-person and remote options. This technological pivot represented not merely a stopgap measure but the beginning of a permanent shift in how Americans practice their faith.

While worship rapidly moved online, fellowship activities often disappeared entirely. More than half of surveyed churches (54%) completely discontinued fellowship events rather than transitioning them online, creating significant social voids in congregational life. One bright spot amid this disruption: community service activities remained strong, with many churches seeing increased demand for food assistance, counseling and spiritual support.

Innovation Amid Adversity

By December 2021, our second report documented remarkable examples of congregational creativity. Churches launched food trucks for low-income communities, created Memory Cafés for those with dementia, and expanded feeding ministries exponentially – one congregation went from making monthly sandwiches to feeding 1,200 people weekly.

This innovation wasn’t temporary. Forty five percent of congregations reported making permanent changes to their community outreach, and more than half (54%) launched entirely new ministries or expanded existing ones. The crisis became a catalyst for mission-focused renewal.

Educational Disruption and Adaptation

Our April 2022 survey revealed religious education as perhaps the most severely disrupted aspect of church life. Half of congregations reported “major disruption” to programs like Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and adult education.

The impact varied significantly by tradition. Catholic/Orthodox and Evangelical churches largely maintained in-person children’s programming (82%), often with safety modifications. In contrast, only 29% of Mainline Protestant churches continued in-person youth programming during the pandemic.

Virtual religious education proved particularly challenging for children’s ministry, though it showed benefits for adult education. Churches that discontinued programs entirely suffered the greatest difficulties in rebuilding participation, while those that modified with safety protocols but maintained in-person connection showed stronger recovery.

Technology: From Emergency Response to Strategic Asset

By 2023, what began as emergency adoption of technology had transformed into strategic implementation. Our research found 75% of congregations now offer online worship – a substantial increase from 45% pre-pandemic – with most planning to maintain virtual options permanently.

The technological transformation extended beyond worship to giving, education and community building. Congregations embracing technology changes reported greater vitality and optimism for the future. Interestingly, churches emphasizing virtual attendance saw membership growth, while those prioritizing in-person worship experienced higher per-capita donations.

The Clergy Crisis

Perhaps the most concerning development emerged in our 2023-2024 studies focusing on clergy well-being. Our surveys of approximately 1,700 religious leaders revealed high levels of discontentment, with nearly half entertaining thoughts of leaving their congregations and over half contemplating exiting ministry altogether.

The primary factors driving this disaffection weren’t general dissatisfaction with ministry but relational disconnection and conflict within congregations. Younger clergy, particularly millennials, reported lower levels of well-being compared to older colleagues.

Yet our most recent wellness study also found clergy generally healthier than the general public in terms of mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Maintaining spiritual practices like prayer and a strong sense of pastoral calling correlated strongly with positive wellness outcomes.

Demographic Disparities

Our research uncovered significant disparities in how the pandemic affected different communities. Black congregations experienced disproportionately severe impacts compared to white congregations, with steeper declines in attendance, finances, and clergy well-being. Only 50% of Black churches reported stable or improved finances since 2018, compared to 65% of white congregations.

Despite these challenges, Black churches demonstrated exceptional adaptability and community commitment. Ninety-nine percent of clergy encouraged COVID vaccinations – more than double the rate of white church leaders – and offered their facilities for testing and vaccination at twice the rate of white congregations.

Latino congregations showed remarkable resilience and growth, especially among youth, but faced sustainability challenges around leadership development and finances. Many Latino faith leaders remain unpaid or juggle multiple jobs, creating long-term concerns despite current vitality.

Orthodox Christian parishes followed a distinctive path, more likely to maintain regular in-person activities and resist pandemic restrictions while being more reluctant to adopt online worship services. This approach yielded mixed results: Orthodox parishes gained more new members and restored in-person attendance more successfully but experienced greater declines in overall participation and volunteerism.

Financial Resilience and Challenges

Our latest financial report reveals surprising stability. The median income of congregations has reached a 25-year high, though not keeping pace with inflation. Nearly half of congregations now report extensive use of digital donation platforms.

Most religious leaders (89%) assess their congregation’s financial situation as good or excellent – the highest percentage in nearly two decades. This financial resilience occurred despite approximately 30% of congregations feeling their viability was at risk during the height of the pandemic.

Looking Forward: A Changed Religious Landscape

Five years after COVID-19 first disrupted American religious life, our research reveals a transformed landscape. Churches are stabilizing, and, since the initial pandemic dip, have seen rising attendance, increased income, volunteer participation growth, and decreased serious conflict.

Yet persistent challenges remain: fluctuating congregation size, aging demographics among both clergy and members, reluctance to embrace change in some traditions and questions about meaningful engagement with primarily virtual attendees.

The pandemic accelerated existing trends, forced innovation and revealed both strengths and vulnerabilities within American religious communities. As we look to the future, congregations that successfully adapted technology, reimagined community engagement, and supported clergy well-being appear best positioned to thrive in this new reality.

The EPIC project continues to document and analyze these changes, offering insights to help religious leaders navigate what remains an evolving landscape. What’s clear five years later is that American congregational life has been permanently altered – not destroyed, but transformed in ways that will shape religious practice for generations to come.