Attendance of small church decries because the number of church members are not returning to the church after the Quarantine

Due to the coronavirus pandemic church attendance has drop tremendously, and Haitian church leaders have one key question: how many of those members will come back to church after the pandemic? The church leaders and members are hesitant to accept the reality. All the church members who were attending church before the pandemic now only a few of them are back to Sunday worship, and pastors are force to only have one service instead of two or three services on a Sunday. As the pandemic recedes in the USA due to the coronavirus vaccine available for all, now the attendance of small church is around 45% to 50% from the previous COVID-19 year. Small congregations are still struggling on reopening their doors because they cannot continue to maintain structure and making rent payment.

Low Attendance in Weekly Worship

Who are these members who has not return or decries the regular visit to church after COVID – 19? And why they are not coming? Here are some common groups which are not returning to the church or decries the regular visit:

•  The fall off gathering joiner

•  The uncoordinated church joiner.

•  The church is extension activity church joiner.

•  The perpetual - reviewer church joiner.

•  The artistic Christian church members.

Ø  The fall off gathering joiner: -

These joiners are attending all worships on a regular basis. But because of some reasons their attendance are decries from attending weekly worships to some worships. Now because of the new Delta Variant COVID surging ferociously, small church members once again grappling with pandemic anxiety. The surge has caused more members to stop coming to small church, and most Christian does not believe on taking the vaccine which could help minimize the risk of attracting the virus. Now church leaders are force to continue doing Sunday service, Bible study, online due to low attendance in small church, or some best churches are having small group of people to come to church in other to minimize the risk of spreading the virus to everyone in the congregation. Since delta variant is more contagious than other coronavirus variants, church member become more concerns coming back to church which cause many more reason of why they should not attend Sunday services, but the main reason that affect the most.

Because of COVID People are not Visiting Church 

Ø  The uncoordinated church joiner: -

Majority of church joiners are visiting church worships in small groups. And it is proven that if a joiner visits in a group his/her chances of returning for next worship is higher than the joiner who visit single. Because joiner feel good and enjoy the other church member company in group, feel safe and that’s way their chance of returning is more.

Due to COVID-19 lock-down last year the individual joiners are not returning to the worships at Haitian churches because they don’t feel safe of coming back, and the lockdown time creating a very negative impact on their mind.

Ø  The church is extension activity church joiner: -

For some joiner’s modern church worship an extension activity. They visit church regularly and attend worship as an activity propose, but this is also the fact that attending church is low priority activity then other activities in their life. They are attending Sunday worship regularly but if on any Sunday there was a football match of their children then they give priority to the match.

After COVID this joiner’s stop attending the worships because of the insecurity of COVID. Now they shift their focus to the health prospective activity like gym, yoga classes, meditation classes, etc.

Ø  The perpetual - reviewer church joiner: -

There are some joiner’s who are always have complaining. They have complained regarding God, pastor, viewpoints, activates and also complaining Does God Exist? They are always criticizing; they will never return to in-person services. The main duty of pastors, and church leaders is to continue to pray for the members, and everyone in the world so God can protect them all from the virus. 

Ø  The artistic Christian church joiner: -

Some of the church member’s regular joiners but they are not Christians, they join church worship because they want to learn and accept the culture. They feel good after visiting the church probably because of a good worship or a good sermon that motivate them at the time. Some of these people are not regular attendee, the church needs the non-Christian or the unregularly people to come to church in other for them to continue to hear the words of God. The devil always at work to try to turn God people away from the church.

Now COVID-19 pandemic started which causes majority of Christians to go astray. these joiners learn that not going to church regularly, not attending worships and not visiting church is not a big issue. There is no chance for this artistic joiner to return to the church again unless God himself bring them back home.

Now churches are empty without members

Small Church is depending mostly in the member attendance first to teach them the word of God, teach them how to continue to work with God, teach them how to love God, teach them how to always put God first in and on everything they are doing, teach them how to build their faith in God. Second, the church job is to teach the members how to believe that Jesus is the son of God and Jesus himself is God, that anyone who want to go to heaven need to accept Jesus Christ if not you cannot go to heaven. That is the principle of the God, and everyone on earth need to follow those principles in other to go to heaven. The church also needs the member to continue tithing in other to continue paying the building rent or mortgage at house of God. Virtual service can be good for other most in person worship is better and more intimate.