Church loyalty is shifting.
A recent survey reveals that nearly half of American church attendees now participate in more than one church, a trend that has grown with the rise of online worship services following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hartford Institute for Religion Research released a report in June based on its “Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations” study. This research involved responses from 24,165 churchgoers across 80 different denominations nationwide, collected between September 2024 and January 2025.
Findings show that 46% of respondents regularly attend multiple congregations. Specifically, 22% physically attend more than one church, 10% join other congregations virtually or via broadcast, and another 14% participate both in person and online. Just over half (54%) stick to a single congregation. Researchers suggest that this new pattern of engaging with multiple churches may have been sparked by the widespread adoption of livestream worship during the pandemic.
Interestingly, about one in five attendees who participate in other churches do so with congregations from different denominations or faith traditions. While those with multiple church affiliations tend to show slightly lower commitment to their primary congregation, attending other services—whether in person or online—does not reduce their attendance, donations, or volunteer work at their home church. Instead, visiting multiple churches appears to complement rather than detract from their spiritual involvement.
The study also explored reasons behind attending church online. Convenience was cited by 46% of online attendees, while illness, caregiving responsibilities, and accessibility concerns also ranked highly. Other common factors included fear of illness, time constraints, work schedules, family commitments, travel, weather, distance from a local congregation, and personal preference for virtual services.
While the rise of virtual worship has made it easier to “shop” between congregations or attend multiple services, 36% of respondents still physically attend more than one church. Without previous nationwide data for comparison, it’s unclear how much this trend has grown since the pandemic, though earlier studies of megachurch attendees showed 12% had multiple church homes. Overall, the findings suggest a shift in how Americans engage with faith communities in a post-pandemic world.