WASHINGTON (AP) — At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many churches moved their services online, the Rev. William H. Lamar IV initially shuddered at the thought that he needed to morph into a “video personality” to stay engaged with his parishioners.
“I resisted, kicking and screaming, because I’m a child of the ’70s,” said Lamar, the senior pastor of historic Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. “I’m not a digital native.”
Four years later, Lamar, a talented preacher, has adjusted to offering both virtual and in-person services. After a noticeable attendance drop, more Metropolitan congregants are choosing in-person worship over virtual, even as they mourn members who died from COVID-19.
This Easter, Lamar is grateful to be back in person with his flock, believing it’s a fitting way to celebrate the holiday’s message of hope and resurrection.
This Easter is also an opportunity for Black churches to welcome more visitors to their pews and try to begin reversing attendance trends. More than a dozen Black clergy said their churches are still feeling the pandemic’s impact on already-waning attendance, even as they have rolled out robust online options to reach new people.
Black Protestants’ monthly church attendance declined 15% from 2019 to 2023, a larger drop than any other major religious group, according to a 2023 Pew Research study. They are also more likely than other groups to take in religious services online or on TV, with more than half (54%) saying they attend services virtually.
This dynamic is being felt at Calvary Baptist Church in the New York City borough of Queens. Its senior pastor, the Rev. Victor T. Hall Sr., hopes this Easter, if for only one Sunday, he’ll get a glimpse of the way things used to be, when his church was “packed and rocking.”
Before the pandemic, Calvary’s numbers were already dwindling as many members moved to more…
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