71% of churches meeting for in-person worship, study finds

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.