75% of U.S. congregations offered online or virtual worship in 2023, up from about 45% before the March 2020 lockdowns, and 4 out of 5 say they will still offer it five years from now (Hartford Institute for Religion Research, EPIC Technology Report, 2024). The audience is real: 27% of U.S. adults regularly watch religious services online or on TV, including 10% who watch without ever attending in person (Pew Research Center, 2023). The money moved too, with congregations using online giving “a lot” rising from 8% in 2015 to 48% in 2023, while religion drew $146.54 billion in U.S. charitable giving in 2024 (EPIC, 2024; Giving USA 2025). This analysis consolidates data from the Hartford Institute’s EPIC and FACT surveys, Pew Research Center, Gallup, and 5 other primary sources to map where church technology stands in 2026.
TL;DR
- 75% of congregations offered online worship in 2023, up from ~45% pre-lockdown in 2020 (Hartford Institute, EPIC Technology Report 2024).
- 73% of congregations run hybrid services; only 2% are online only (Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024).
- 96% of streaming congregations broadcast weekly or more, versus 26% of 2020 streamers doing so frequently (EPIC 2024).
- 27% of U.S. adults regularly watch religious services on screens; 10% watch without attending in person (Pew Research Center, 2023).
- Churchgoers watching 18+ livestreams a year rose from 4% in 2019 to 18% in 2022 (Lifeway Research, 2023).
- Regular U.S. religious attendance fell from 42% in 2000-2003 to 30% in 2021-2023 (Gallup, 2024).
- Median in-person attendance reached 70 in 2025, the first gain in 25 years of tracking (FACT/EPIC, Signs of Rebound 2026).
- Congregations using online giving “a lot” rose from 8% in 2015 to 48% in 2023 (EPIC 2024).
- Congregations emphasizing online giving report 33% higher median per capita donations, $2,400+ versus $1,800 (EPIC 2024).
- Religion received $146.54 billion in U.S. giving in 2024, 24.7% of all charitable dollars (Giving USA 2025).
- 64% of church leaders say an AI policy is important; only 5% have one (Pushpay/Barna, State of Church Technology 2026).
- 42% of U.S. Protestant pastors use or experiment with AI, but 84% worry the output must be edited for errors (Lifeway Research, 2026).
1. Worship Goes Hybrid: Streaming Adoption
The pandemic compressed a decade of AV adoption into three years, and the new baseline is holding. Before COVID-19, the National Congregations Study found just 20% of congregations livestreamed; by 2023 the Hartford Institute’s EPIC study of 5,162 congregations put online worship at 75%. Fewer than 3% of streaming congregations plan to drop the option within five years, so hybrid worship is now permanent infrastructure, not a pandemic patch. Frequency changed as much as adoption: 96% of streaming congregations now broadcast weekly or more, where only 26% of 2020 streamers did so frequently.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Congregations offering online/virtual worship (2023) | 75% (vs ~45% pre-lockdown 2020) | Hartford Institute, EPIC Technology Report 2024 |
| Worship mode 2023: hybrid / in-person only / online only | 73% / 25% / 2% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Congregations over 250 attenders holding hybrid worship | 92% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Streaming congregations broadcasting weekly or more (2023) | 96% (vs 26% frequent in 2020) | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Streaming congregations planning to keep virtual worship in 5 years | 4 in 5 (under 3% plan to stop) | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Streaming platforms used: one / two / three or more | 56% / 31% / 13% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Streaming congregations that track online attendance | ~50% (44% in 2020) | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Congregations livestreaming pre-pandemic (2018-19) | 20% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Congregations recording services pre-pandemic (2018-19) | 50% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
Context: houses of worship went through the same adoption curve as every other live video vertical, a pattern quantified in our live streaming statistics.
2. Who Actually Watches Online
The online congregation is large, satisfied, and stubbornly loyal to the sanctuary. Pew Research Center’s survey of 11,377 U.S. adults found 66% of virtual viewers highly satisfied with online services, yet among people who do both, in-person wins 76% to 11%. Lifeway Research found the share of Protestant churchgoers watching 18 or more livestreams per year more than quadrupled, from 4% in September 2019 to 18% in September 2022. Convenience drives the behavior far more than necessity: 43% call it a major reason, versus 16% citing illness or disability.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults regularly watching religious services online or on TV | 27% | Pew Research Center, 2023 |
| Watch online only, without attending in person | 10% | Pew Research Center, 2023 |
| Both attend in person and watch online | 17% | Pew Research Center, 2023 |
| Virtual viewers highly satisfied with online services | 66% | Pew Research Center, 2023 |
| Dual-mode attenders preferring in-person vs online | 76% vs 11% | Pew Research Center, 2023 |
| Cite convenience as a major reason for watching online | 43% | Pew Research Center, 2023 |
| Virtual viewers who feel like active participants | 25% (32% feel like passive watchers) | Pew Research Center, 2023 |
| Churchgoers who watched a livestream instead of attending 5+ times in past year | 39% | Lifeway Research, 2023 |
| Churchgoers watching 18+ livestreams a year, 2019 vs 2022 | 4% vs 18% | Lifeway Research, 2023 |
| Say watching a livestream is valid when sick or caregiving | 69% | Lifeway Research, 2023 |
Note: Pew found Black adults are the heaviest virtual worship audience at 48% watching monthly or more, versus 30% of Hispanic adults and 22% of White adults; clear on-screen text and legible lyrics matter for this audience, a production topic covered in our captions and subtitles statistics.
3. Attendance and the Post-Pandemic Rebound
The long-term attendance line points down while the congregation-level line just turned up. Gallup’s aggregate of 32,445 interviews puts regular U.S. attendance at 30% in 2021-2023, down 12 points from 2000-2003. Yet the FACT/EPIC 2026 report on 7,453 congregations recorded median in-person attendance of 70, the first positive gain in 25 years of tracking. Hybrid congregations that kept most of their audience online more than doubled in size (+102%) versus pre-pandemic, while heavily in-person congregations shrank about 10%, a direct trade between reach and engagement. The online share is normalizing rather than collapsing: hybrid congregations with more virtual than in-person attenders fell from 21% to 13% between 2021 and 2023.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults attending religious services regularly (2021-2023) | 30% (21% weekly + 9% almost weekly) | Gallup, 2024 |
| Regular attendance two decades earlier (2000-2003) | 42% | Gallup, 2024 |
| Adults 18-29 attending regularly | 22% | Gallup, 2024 |
| Median in-person worship attendance (2025) | 70, first gain in 25 years | FACT/EPIC, Signs of Rebound 2026 |
| Leaders saying their congregation is stronger than before the pandemic | 58% | FACT/EPIC, Signs of Rebound 2026 |
| Hybrid congregations with more online than in-person attenders | 21% (2021) to 13% (2023) | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Growth of mostly-virtual hybrid congregations vs pre-pandemic size | +102% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Size change of heavily in-person congregations (6:1+ ratio) vs 2019 | ~ -10% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Congregations offering online or hybrid fellowship events | 25% (2021) to 5% (2023) | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
Note: the fellowship collapse is the tell. Congregations kept the camera on worship but pulled almost everything else back into the building, so the stream is the front door, not the whole house.
4. Digital Giving and Church Finances
No church technology shows a cleaner adoption curve, or a stronger link to revenue, than online giving. The EPIC study tracked congregations using it “a lot” from 8% in 2015 to 25% in 2020 to 48% in 2023. Congregations that emphasize online giving report median per capita donations above $2,400, versus about $1,800 where it is absent, a 33% gap that holds after controlling for size, tradition, and location. The macro backdrop is tighter: Giving USA 2025 shows religion still takes the largest share of U.S. charity at 24.7%, but its 1.9% growth trailed both inflation and the 6.3% growth of total giving.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Congregations not using online giving: 2015 / 2020 / 2023 | ~70% / 50% / 31% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Congregations using online giving “a lot” (2023) | 48% (8% in 2015) | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Large congregations (250+) using online giving | All but 3%; 91% use it “a lot” | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Small congregations (under 50) using online giving “a lot” | 27% (almost half use none) | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Median per capita giving, no online giving vs heavy use | ~$1,800 vs $2,400+ (+33%) | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Per capita giving, mostly-virtual vs heavily in-person hybrids | ~$1,000 vs ~$2,500 | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| U.S. giving to religion (2024) | $146.54 billion (+1.9% current dollars, -1.0% real) | Giving USA 2025 |
| Religion’s share of all U.S. charitable giving (2024) | ~24.7%, largest category | Giving USA 2025 |
| Total U.S. charitable giving, 2024 and 2025 | $592.50B (+6.3%); $617.20B (+5.7%) | Giving USA 2026 |
| Congregations accepting electronic donations pre-pandemic (2018-19) | 48% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Median congregational income (2025) | $205,000 | FACT/EPIC, Signs of Rebound 2026 |
Note: the per capita giving figures are associations, not proof that a giving platform causes generosity; wealthier and better-organized congregations adopt tools faster.
5. The Church Tech Stack: Tools, Staff, and Infrastructure
The average congregation now runs a small production and communications operation on mostly volunteer labor. The EPIC 2023 survey counts a mean of 7 tech tools per congregation, from email (96%) to online small groups (53%), and NCS Wave IV found only 5% of congregations pay a staffer to spend a quarter of their time on web, social, or apps. Visual projection in worship nearly quadrupled in two decades, from 12% of congregations in 1998 to 46% in 2018-19, and 91% of church buildings had Wi-Fi by 2023. All of this sits inside a global pro AV industry that AVIXA sizes at nearly $300 billion.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Congregations using email | 96% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Church buildings with Wi-Fi | 91% (2023) vs 85% (2020) | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Mean tech tools per congregation | 7 (9 for 250+ attenders; 6 for 50 or fewer) | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Congregations holding small group meetings online | 53% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Congregations with a website, 1998 vs 2018-19 | 17% vs 72% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Congregations with a Facebook page (2018-19) | 73% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Any web presence (site, Facebook, or other social) | 87% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Paid staffer spending 25%+ of time on web/social/apps | 5% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Visual projection used in worship, 1998 vs 2018-19 | 12% vs 46% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Congregations encouraging smartphone use during worship | 33% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Congregants volunteering regularly (2025) | 40% | FACT/EPIC, Signs of Rebound 2026 |
| Global pro AV market size | ~$300 billion | AVIXA Market Intelligence |
Note: EPIC finds rural and small-town congregations use the fewest tools while suburban congregations use the most, the congregational version of the access and skills gaps in our digital divide statistics. The NCS figures are the most recent available from that study; its fieldwork predates the pandemic.
6. AI Arrives in the Pulpit
AI adoption in ministry looks like every early enterprise curve: high stated importance, low governance, generational splits. Pushpay and Barna’s State of Church Technology 2026, drawing on 1,300+ church leaders, found 94% believe technology helps the Church fulfill its mission, yet the AI policy gap is stark. 64% of church leaders say an AI policy is important, but only 5% actually have one (Pushpay/Barna, State of Church Technology 2026). On the ground, Lifeway Research’s September 2025 surveys show 10% of Protestant pastors using AI regularly and 32% experimenting, with pastors under 45 experimenting at ten times the regular-use rate of pastors 65 and older.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Church leaders saying an AI policy is important vs having one | 64% vs 5% | Pushpay/Barna, State of Church Technology 2026 |
| Leaders saying technology improved connection with congregants | 75% | Pushpay/Barna, State of Church Technology 2026 |
| Leaders saying tech helps the Church fulfill its mission | 94% | Pushpay/Barna, State of Church Technology 2026 |
| Pastors using AI regularly / experimenting with it | 10% / 32% | Lifeway Research, 2026 |
| Pastors 65+ using AI regularly | 4% (vs 40% of pastors 18-44 experimenting) | Lifeway Research, 2026 |
| Pastors of churches with 250+ attenders experimenting with AI | 43% (15% regular users) | Lifeway Research, 2026 |
| Pastors concerned AI content must be edited for errors | 84% | Lifeway Research, 2026 |
| Pastors concerned about sourcing reliability / hidden bias | 81% / 76% | Lifeway Research, 2026 |
| Churchgoers who find AI acceptable in sermon prep | 44% (43% disagree) | Lifeway Research, 2026 |
| Churchgoers concerned about AI’s influence on Christianity | 61% | Lifeway Research, 2026 |
| AV professionals using AI in their job | 76% | AVIXA Index survey, 2026 |
Note: the 4% regular-use rate among pastors 65+ tracks the broader generational curve in our older adults technology adoption statistics; rural pastors also lag urban ones, 5% versus 11% regular use.
Summary: Church Technology by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Congregations offering online worship (2023) | 75% (vs ~45% in 2020) | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Worship mode: hybrid / in-person only / online only | 73% / 25% / 2% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Large congregations (250+) that are hybrid | 92% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Streaming congregations broadcasting weekly+ | 96% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Congregations livestreaming pre-pandemic (2018-19) | 20% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| U.S. adults regularly watching services on screens | 27% | Pew Research Center, 2023 |
| Watch online only, never in person | 10% | Pew Research Center, 2023 |
| Dual-mode attenders preferring in-person | 76% vs 11% | Pew Research Center, 2023 |
| Churchgoers watching 18+ livestreams/year, 2019 vs 2022 | 4% vs 18% | Lifeway Research, 2023 |
| Regular U.S. religious attendance, 2000-03 vs 2021-23 | 42% vs 30% | Gallup, 2024 |
| Median in-person attendance (2025) | 70, first gain in 25 years | FACT/EPIC, Signs of Rebound 2026 |
| Congregations using online giving “a lot”, 2015 vs 2023 | 8% vs 48% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Per capita giving lift where online giving is emphasized | +33% ($2,400+ vs $1,800) | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| U.S. giving to religion (2024) | $146.54 billion, 24.7% of total | Giving USA 2025 |
| Congregations with any web presence | 87% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Church buildings with Wi-Fi | 91% | Hartford Institute, EPIC 2024 |
| Visual projection in worship, 1998 vs 2018-19 | 12% vs 46% | National Congregations Study, Wave IV |
| Church leaders: AI policy important vs have one | 64% vs 5% | Pushpay/Barna, State of Church Technology 2026 |
| Pastors using or experimenting with AI | 42% | Lifeway Research, 2026 |
| Global pro AV market size | ~$300 billion | AVIXA Market Intelligence |
Methodology and Sources
Data was gathered by aggregating figures directly from primary research reports, academic congregational studies, and named survey releases published in 2023-2026, cross-referencing overlapping metrics across two or more sources and flagging any figure whose fieldwork predates 2023.
- Hartford Institute for Religion Research, EPIC/FACT, The Continuing Impact of Technology on Congregations (Feb 2024; 5,162 congregations surveyed in 2023, 8,669 in 2020, 1,610 in 2021; margin of error ~4%)
- FACT/EPIC, Signs of Rebound Amid Uneven Recovery (2026; 7,453 congregations across 79 traditions, surveyed Sept-Dec 2025)
- Pew Research Center, Online Religious Services Appeal to Many Americans, but Going in Person Remains More Popular (June 2023; 11,377 U.S. adults surveyed Nov 2022)
- Gallup, Church Attendance Has Declined in Most U.S. Religious Groups (2024; 32,445 interviews aggregated 2021-2023)
- Lifeway Research, Churchgoers Still Watch Livestream Services, at Least Occasionally (2023; 1,002 U.S. Protestant churchgoers surveyed Sept 2022)
- Lifeway Research, Pastors, Churchgoers See AI as Concerning and Confusing (Apr 2026; 1,003 pastors and 1,200 churchgoers surveyed Sept 2025)
- Pushpay and Barna, State of Church Technology 2026 (2026; 1,300+ church leaders)
- Giving USA 2025, The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2024 and Giving USA 2026 headline release (2025-2026)
- National Congregations Study, Wave IV report (fieldwork 2018-19; most recent available wave of the Duke University study)
- AVIXA Market Intelligence (pro AV market sizing and AVIXA Index practitioner surveys)
Data watch: the Hartford Institute’s FACT/EPIC program fields congregational surveys through 2026, with further reports expected from its fall 2025 wave; Lifeway Research and Barna release new pastor surveys throughout the year; Giving USA publishes each June; the next National Congregations Study wave has not yet been announced; and Pew Research Center revisits religion and digital life periodically.
Last updated: July 19, 2026. We update this page quarterly as new editions of these studies are published.