Here's another insight gleaned from our COVID exile about attendance patterns.

Once-a-Month Churchgoers Are Becoming More Common

Excerpts from church growth guru Tom Rainer's 5/24/21 blog post.

• Prior to the pandemic, the twice-a-month church attendee was considered active by most church members and leaders.
• But one of the trends emerging from the pandemic is the increasing number of once-a-month attendees.
• Is this trend temporary, one that will improve as COVID concerns wane?
• Are these members re-establishing themselves or are they easing themselves out?
• What are the motivations for such infrequent attendance?
• Why is church not the best family time possible?
• The once-a-month church attendee is not as much a function of culture winning as it is the church surrendering.

What if they don't come back?

Insights from Barna Research as reported by Pastor Jason Koon in The Baptist News

Baptist News reported a Barna Research statistic that signals part of the problem:  pastors and younger people/families are NOT on the same wavelength:

"nearly 70% of pastors believe they are meaningfully engaging their congregations on issues of social responsibility,

(but) only 30% of 18- to 35-year-olds see it the same way."

That's a 40% different in perception, and one of the reasons why pastors often "just don't understand" why young people aren't coming to their church.

Instead of blaming those who are leaving, we could step back and take a long, agonizing look at the expressions of faith they’re leaving behind.

• Why don’t they miss it?
• What about the way we do church falls so flat that committed Christians just don’t see the point anymore?
• Is it possible this exodus is not a culling of the churchgoers who are walking away, but an indictment against the expressions of faith they’re walking away from?
• What's easier to change? A pastor's behavior and skillset or the needs of a generation?