Perhaps the most significant innovation in American religion over the past decade is the rapid growth in churches broadcasting their worship services online. In the fall of 2019—just before the COVID-19 pandemic—Lifeway Research found that only 22% of churches surveyed were streaming their entire service. Meanwhile, 41% reported that they weren’t streaming, recording, or broadcasting their services in any way.
When Lifeway conducted another survey about six months later, in April 2020, the percentage of churches streaming services had increased to 97%. The pandemic lockdowns clearly sped up the adoption of this technology. But does it actually have lasting power? At that time, some observers argued that shifting to a digital-first outreach strategy was crucial and that “online church” would become the standard for future generations of ministry leaders.
In late 2023 and early 2024, the Pew Research Center surveyed nearly 37,000 Americans as part of their Religious Landscape Study.
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