AFA executive vice president says results from lockdowns reveal Christian disciplines dropped precipitously
Survey reveals COVID-19 church closures hurt church attendance, and now one in three Americans never go to religious services
TUPELO, Miss. — A new study about church closures during the COVID-19 lockdowns shows that attendance has not returned to pre-COVID-19 levels, and leaves open the question whether depressed participation in worship is the new normal in America. According to the study, “The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated an overall decline in religious attendance,” and “the number of Americans who never attend religious services jumped over the past two years; roughly one in three Americans now report that they never attend religious services.”
American Family Association (AFA, www.AFA.net) Executive Vice President Ed Vitagliano has said the legal foundations of America are indeed Christian, but plummeting church attendance shows a vital need for commitment to evangelism to win souls to Christ.
“The chaos that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic scare impacted America in ways that we are still learning about,” Vitagliano commented. “Church attendance is one of those. The practice of Christian disciplines, including church attendance, has dropped precipitously. Inside the Christian community, believers must encourage others to return to faithful behavior. Meanwhile, as our nation increases its secular trends, it proves what Jesus said two millennia ago: The fields ‘are white to harvest.’ The people here need Jesus just like everywhere else.”
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