America’s megachurches have rebounded strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic, with many reporting higher attendance, increased giving and greater confidence about the future, according to a new study.
The findings come from Megachurch Resurgence: How Big-Attendance Churches Rebounded After the Pandemic, a report by researchers Warren Bird and Scott Thumma, released by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
The report is based on a survey conducted between Aug. 20 and Nov. 13, 2025, of 589 Protestant congregations averaging at least 900 weekly attendees, including 331 megachurches. The research is part of the Hartford Institute’s ongoing 25-year study of America’s largest churches.
Researchers found that the United States has about 1,850 megachurches, drawing an estimated 10 million worshipers on a typical weekend. That represents roughly one in every six Protestant churchgoers.
The study found that 67% of megachurches now report attendance above pre-pandemic levels, while 84% say their congregations are stronger than they were before COVID-19. Another 86% described their churches as thriving and expressed optimism about the years ahead.
Researchers also reported that many megachurches have recovered in key areas such as attendance, giving and racial and ethnic diversity since the pandemic disruptions began in 2020.
Most of the surveyed megachurches identified as Evangelical, with 67% using that label, up slightly from 65% in 2020. Another 12% identified as missional, 12% as charismatic or Pentecostal, 4.5% as moderate or progressive and 4.5% as seeker.
Financially, the median income among megachurches rose to $7.4 million, up from $5.3 million in 2019. Researchers said that increase exceeded the rate of inflation.
“During the pandemic there was considerable speculation that large churches had permanently lost momentum,” Thumma, a retired professor of sociology of religion at Hartford International University and former director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, said in a statement provided to The Christian Post.
“Instead, we found that most megachurches have demonstrated remarkable resilience. Many have emerged stronger than before — not simply because attendance returned, but because they have renewed their focus on discipleship, leadership development, innovation and community engagement.”
“Our findings suggest that America’s largest churches continue to function as laboratories of innovation,” said Bird. “Many of the ministry practices that eventually spread throughout American churches — whether multisite ministry, leadership residencies, digital engagement, or new approaches to discipleship — often appear first in these larger congregations.”
“The story emerging from this research is not simply one of recovery,” Thumma said. “It is a story of adaptation. These churches have navigated extraordinary disruption and, in many cases, used it as an opportunity to rethink ministry, invest in people, and strengthen their mission.”
