Why Fewer People in the Pew Might Not Be All Bad News.

Attendance Frequency? Yes... 

In the video below, Thom S. Rainer, former CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, states "the primary driver of declining church attendance is a decrease in attendance frequency, " not just how many people attend, but how often they attend". Compounding the issue is a noticeable decline in evangelism and intentional outreach, both of which are essential for sustained church growth.

📉 1. Decline in Consistent Attendance

Attendance frequency has been dropping steadily: decades ago, a committed churchgoer attended 3x/week; 20 years ago ~3x/month; 10 years ago ~2x/month; and now “once‑a‑month” attenders are the fastest‑growing segment.

The video highlights how inconsistent attendance, whether weekly or monthly, undermines church's momentum and community impact. Also, just a fraction of members regularly invites others, which exacerbates turnout decline. 

Statistically, only 2% of church members invite even one person to church each year. Yet, 82% of people say they would attend if someone simply extended an invitation.

📊 2. Broader Membership vs. Weekend Numbers

The good news is, this frequency shift means you’re often shepherding more people than your headcount shows: someone attends once a month, but they count as only one person in average weekly stats.  In practical terms: a church averaging 75 attendees might have 130–150 regular members who just show up intermittently.

🔄 3. What can you do?

• Encouraging small group attendance, serving and leadership modeling - Engaged members attend more frequently.

• To invite more visitors, create a culture of invite-ism - encourage member participation through invitations.

Watch the video

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