71% of churches meeting for in-person worship, study finds – The Washington Times
GNN Note – My wife and I have been attending church, in person, since Pentecost Sunday. We will never, ever not attend church in person again, even if we have to start a house church. Worship, in the way we believe, and peaceful assembly are God given Rights, not state mandated freedoms. Big, big difference in these two lines of thought and realities.
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For most U.S. congregations, in-person worship has returned to mid-March levels despite a nationwide rise in coronavirus cases, a new report says.
A study from LifeWay Research, a publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, found 71% of churches led by mainline Protestant or evangelical ministers met for in-person worship as recently as July 19.
On March 15, 95% of U.S. churches were meeting in-person as the coronavirus seeped its way into the Pacific Northwest and New York City.
It’s a striking rise since the middle of April, when only 4% of churches were meeting for in-person services.
Still, the numbers, published Friday, come as coronavirus surges across the country: On Monday, the pastor of a north Alabama Baptist church said more than 40 congregants, including himself, tested positive for COVID-19 after holding in-person services over several days last week.
