Megachurches emerged from the pandemic stronger than many expected

A new report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research found that 67% of megachurches increased their in-person attendance between 2019 and 2025, with many growing by 25% or more. Eighty-six percent described their congregations as thriving.

The findings surprised even researchers who have spent decades studying large churches.

“Many in the media had assumed that the large-attendance church would not make a comeback, but I was always confident their strong evangelistic passion would bring them back,” said Warren Bird, principal researcher and lead author of the report. “I was [still] surprised at how many came back far stronger than before the pandemic.”

The report, “Megachurch Resurgence: How Big-Attendance Churches Rebounded After the Pandemic,” is part of a 25-year research project tracking congregations with weekly attendance of roughly 2,000 or more.

Bird pointed out that many large churches remained active during the pandemic, even when their sanctuaries were closed. According to the report, many megachurches devoted resources to distributing food, expanding online ministries and finding new ways to stay connected with their communities.

When churches reopened, many returned with “the same need-meeting energies as when the church had originally started,” Bird said.

The growth also reflects a trend that began well before the pandemic. Today, about one in three Protestant churchgoers attends a congregation of 1,000 or more, a share that has increased steadily over the past two decades.

Some of that growth likely comes from people moving from smaller churches to larger ones, Bird said.

“Transfer growth is an unavoidable reality in all eras,” Bird said. However, the researchers had difficulty measuring how much megachurch growth comes from people switching congregations. But that does not mean smaller churches are disappearing, he added.

The study also found signs of strength beyond attendance numbers.

Ninety-seven percent of megachurches described their congregations as “spiritually vital and alive,” the highest percentage recorded during the 25 years researchers have asked the question.

Bird acknowledged that spiritual vitality is more difficult to measure than attendance.

“Our assumption is that if people exaggerate, they’ve done so at the same rates over the years,” he said. “So the more important factor is that the self-scoring is higher than it was five, 10, 15 and 20 years ago.”

Attendance has never been the only measure of a church’s health. It is simply one of the easiest things to count, Bird said.

The report also found that small groups have become an important part of megachurch strategy. Ninety-four percent of churches described small groups as central to their ministry, although actual participation has remained at about 40% for several years.

“This seems largely a gap between aspiration and execution,” Bird said, “but 40% involvement is definitely good progress toward that aspiration.”

As megachurches grow, researchers also continue to watch how they handle leadership transitions.

The average lead pastor is 53 and has served in the position for 15 years — numbers that have changed little since 2020. Seventy-two percent of megachurches now describe their succession planning as good or better, up slightly from 68%.

Bird said the age of a pastor is not necessarily what places a congregation at risk. Problems are more likely to emerge when churches face leadership scandals or fail to prepare for transitions.

“If the senior leader of any size church has a public integrity crisis, then trust plummets, and the congregation quickly diminishes in size,” he said. “If the church fails to pass the leadership baton well, then the congregation will also diminish in size and impact, just not as quickly.”

At the same time, the next generation of megachurch leaders is already emerging. Gen X and millennial pastors now outnumber baby boomers in leadership roles.

Bird said younger pastors tend to be “more collaborative” and more focused on balancing their ministry responsibilities with their personal lives.

One of the report’s most dramatic findings, however, remains harder to explain.

In 2020, about 40% of megachurches identified themselves as independent or nondenominational. Five years later, that number had significantly climbed, to 69%.

Bird said he did not have a clear explanation for the change.

Jim Wellman, professor and chair of the comparative religion program in the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington has conducted his own research on megachurches. He said branding may be part of the answer to that question.

“The last thing they want to do is remind people they’re a part of a denomination,” said Wellman, co-author of “High on God: How Megachurches Won the Heart of America.”

Denominations often come with traditions, structures and expectations that churches may not want to emphasize to people who are visiting for the first time, he said.

Wellman sees that instinct as part of a broader strength of megachurches: their ability to invite people in.

“The real experts … are experts in invitation,” he said.

Bird and co-author of the study Scott Thumma conclude that large-attendance churches remain significant places of experimentation within American Christianity.

They describe megachurches as “important laboratories of innovation” and say their recovery after the pandemic reflects adaptation, resilience and the continued desire to influence the country’s spiritual landscape.