More than two years after many churches were shuttered due to the pandemic, many congregations are happy to see you back in their pews.

According to a Barna Group study published earlier this year, attendance doubled from 2021 to 2022 among American millennials who go to services weekly. Gen-X and Boomers also saw jumps last year. Figures among millennials and Gen-X members attending services weekly are higher than before the pandemic. Part of that reason could be how churches reach out to their area families. Pastor Matthew Sprunger of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Kewaunee says they have focused a lot on their Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and other kid-centric programming.

Just up the road in Algoma, Pastor Joel McKenney says their outreach activities, like last month’s Thanksgiving Dinner that brought record attendance, have also helped people connect with their fellow members.

Despite the good news, Lifeway Research shows that overall church attendance is still down across the country. A survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors stated that despite all of their churches hosting in-person services, their attendance levels were approximately 85 percent of what they were in January 2020.