Q: What’s the size of U.S. churches? (From the Hartford Institute for Religion Research)
A: The median church in the U.S. has 75 regular participants in worship on Sunday mornings, according to the National Congregations Study. Notice that researchers measured the median church size — the point at which half the churches are smaller and half the churches are larger — rather than the average (186 attenders reported by the USCLS survey) which is larger due to the influence of very large churches. But while the United States has a large number of very small churches, most people attend larger churches. The National Congregations Study estimated that the smaller churches draw only 11 percent of those who attend worship. Meanwhile, 50 percent of churchgoers attended the largest 10% of congregations (350 regular participants and up). (Do numbers really matter? Read my article by clicking here.)
Here is the attendance record for Hope Chapel Hill Country since its inception, January 5, 2014. This will be updated weekly. (Please read why church planting really is about the numbers by clicking here.)
2015
FIRST QUARTER
January
1/04/15: 14 (3 visitors, includes their child)
1/11/15: 15 (1 new visitor)
1/18/15: 14 (1 new visitor)
1/25/15: 10
February
2/01/15: 17 (5 new visitors)
2/08/15: 13
2/15/15: 17 (1 new visitor)
/22/15: 17
March
3/01/15: 10
3/08/15: 8
3/15/15: 8 (1 visitor)
3/22/15: 9
3/29/15: 8
April
4/5/15 (Easter): 15 (1 visitor)
4/12/15: 9
4/19/15: 10
2014
FIRST QUARTER
JAN.: 1.5.14: 18 (All new visitors) 1.12.14: 17 (2 new visitors) 1.19.14: 21 (3 new visitors) 1.26.14: 12 (? new visitors)
FEB. 2.2.14: 24 (7 new visitors) 2.9.14: 19 (3 new visitors) 2.16.14: 13 (2 new visitors) 2.23.14: 19 (3 new visitors)
MARCH: 3.2.14: 29 (3 new visitors) 3.9.14: 17 (3 new visitors) 3.16.14: 16 (4 new visitors) 3.23.14: 23 (4 new visitors) 3.30.14: 23 (1 new visitor)
1st Quarter Stats
Total # of visitors, including my family, at the end of the first quarter: 47
Total Attendance: 251
Average attendance: 19.3 per service
SECOND QUARTER
APRIL: 4/6/14: 27 (4 new visitors); 4/13/14: 12 (4 new visitors); 4/20/14: EASTER: 37 (12 new visitors); 4/27/14: 19 (4 new visitors)
MAY: 5/04/14: 18 (1 new visitor); 5/11/14: 17 (3 new visitors); 5/18/14: 30? (No official count was taken. Guest speaker.) (3 new visitors); 5/25/14: 20 (No visitors. Streak broken)
JUNE: 6/01/14: 17 (No visitors); 6/08/14: 18 (6 visitors); 6/15/14: 16 (2 visitors); 6/22/14: 13 (No visitors); 6/29/14: 14 (2 visitors) (NOTE: Lost 7 regulars for no reason, two others with a reason)
2nd Quarter Stats:
New Visitors: 41
Total Attendance: 258
Average attendance: 19.8 per service
3rd QUARTER
JULY
07/06/14: 11 (4 visitors)
07/13/14: 13 (No visitors)
07/20/14: 17 (3 visitors)
7/27/14: 15 (No visitors)
AUGUST
8/3/14: 17 (4 visitors)
8/10/14: 15 (4 visitors)
8/17/14: 17 (1 visitor)
8/24/14: 18 (2 visitors)
8/31/14: 11 (no visitors)
SEPTEMBER
9/7/14: 14 (1 visitor)
9/14/14: 11
9/21/14: 15 (1 visitor)
9/28/14: 10
3rd Quarter Stats
New Visitors: 20
Total Attendance: 184
Average Attendance: 14.1
4th QUARTER
OCTOBER
10/05/14: 11 (1 visitor)
10/12/14: 10 (2 new visitors)
10/19/14: 14
10/26/14: 12
NOVEMBER
11/02/14: 8
11/09/14: 15 (2 new visitors)
11/16/14: 17
11/23/14: 16 (3 new visitors)
11/30/14: 12
DECEMBER
12/7/14: 11 (1 new visitor)
12/14/14: 21 ( 3 new visitors)
12/21/14: 17 (1 new visitor)
12/25/14: 18 (4 new visitors)
12/28/14: 17 (2 new visitors)
4th Quarter Stats
New Visitors: 19
Total Attendance: 199
Average Attendance: 14.21
YEAR-END TOTAL
TOTAL VISITORS: 127
TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 892
AVERAGE ATTENDANCE: 16.8
Anne Moser