55% of churchgoers say faith grew stronger during pandemic

New research challenges assumptions about COVID-19’s impact on American religiosity, showing majority of church attenders report stronger faith since 2020

News Story by Tracy Simmons | Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations 

The global pandemic that shuttered churches, canceled religious gatherings and forced millions into isolation had an unexpected effect on American religious life: it made most churchgoers’ faith stronger, not weaker.

A comprehensive new study of nearly 24,000 church attenders across the United States found that 55% reported their religious faith had grown stronger since the pandemic began, while 57% said their spirituality had deepened. The findings challenge widespread assumptions that COVID-19 would accelerate America’s trend toward secularization.

“The strengthening of faith didn’t come as a complete surprise, but the magnitude is significant,” said Scott Thumma, the study’s principal investigator and director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford Seminary. “We’re seeing that crisis can actually intensify religious commitment rather than diminish it.”

The research, conducted by Hartford Seminary, surveyed churchgoers rather than the general population, focusing on those who remained connected to religious communities during and after the pandemic’s most disruptive period.

Finding church beyond church walls

For Mitch Randall, CEO of Good Faith Media and a former pastor, the pandemic became a catalyst for theological exploration and spiritual growth. Speaking from his home in Norman, Oklahoma, Randall described how lockdowns forced him to discover “church” in unexpected places.

“My idea of church expanded during the pandemic,” said Randall, a citizen of the Muscogee Creek Nation who has spent decades deconstructing and reconstructing his evangelical upbringing. “I found church in my backyard watching birds. I found church in Black Lives Matter marches, walking with protesters and singing spirituals. There was just no way to deny it — that was church on the streets.”

Randall’s experience reflects broader patterns in the data. When physical church buildings closed, many believers didn’t abandon their faith — they adapted it. The study found that virtual worship became a permanent fixture for many congregations, with some churches now serving both in-person and online communities.

“Every time I go into a church now, they talk about their dual congregation,” Thumma noted. “They have the people physically present and their online community.”

The pandemic accelerated changes in religious practice that were already underway. Seven percent of churchgoers admit to having multiple home churches — something that was rarely possible before widespread streaming became the norm.

“I would sit in my backyard and watch services almost every hour,” Randall recalled. “I got to hear amazing preachers I never would have encountered otherwise. Every morning, because everybody was forced online, you could access these voices that you usually wouldn’t get to hear routinely.”

This technological shift appears to be permanent. Many congregations continue offering hybrid worship experiences, expanding their reach beyond traditional geographical boundaries.

The study distinguished between growth in “religious faith” and “spirituality,” recognizing that many Americans — even regular churchgoers — see these as separate but related aspects of their spiritual lives. Researchers found that both dimensions strengthened during the pandemic, with spirituality showing a slightly higher increase.

“We wanted to explore the multiple dimensions of religious and spiritual life independently,” Thumma explained.

The survey examined not only traditional practices like prayer and scripture reading, but also alternative spiritual activities such as using art, exercise, writing, service and time in nature for spiritual growth.

For Randall, this broader understanding of spirituality proved crucial. Drawing on his Indigenous heritage, he embraced what he calls “a theology of wholeness” — understanding faith as encompassing relationships with the divine, fellow humans and the natural world.

“The pandemic reminded me of my own frailty, my own creativeness — that I am an organism that’s been created just like the birds,” he said. “I’m part of the symbiotic existence that we live in.”

A generational surprise

Perhaps most surprising to researchers was evidence of increased religious interest among younger Americans — a demographic that has been steadily leaving organized religion for decades.

“I figured those numbers would continue to wane, but there’s been an uptick there, and it’s really been surprising to me,” Randall said. 

He attributes this partly to generational exhaustion with what his sons, born in 1997 and 2000, call “living in unprecedented times.”

“They said they’re tired of it — all their life, all they’ve heard is ‘these are unprecedented times,'” Randall said. “And you start thinking about that — that’s almost three decades now of unprecedented times. It’s just exhausting. At some point humanity begins to break down, and they search for larger meaning, larger purpose.”

While the findings suggest a significant strengthening of faith during the pandemic, researchers remain cautious about long-term implications. Thumma suspects the effect may be temporary for some groups.

“For those who came to church for the first time or were reconnecting after being away, the commitment and spiritual increase will likely continue,” he said. “But longer-time members might eventually settle back into their typical level of behavior unless other changes happen in their congregations or relationships.”

The survey’s methodology — focusing on people still connected to churches — may have captured the most committed believers while missing those who lost faith and left religious communities entirely during the pandemic.

For Randall, the experience reinforced the importance of physical presence and relationships while also expanding his understanding of where the sacred can be found.

“Don’t forget what that felt like,” he said of the isolation and loss experienced during lockdowns. “Because you’re going to get an opportunity to be present yet again.”