It’s not surprising the church attendance swells around religious holidays. This pattern is so noticeable that a term has been coined to represent the pattern: CEO Christians– Christmas and Easter Only.
In a previous LifeWay Research survey about church attendance, we found that 32 percent of Protestant pastors said Easter typically has the highest attendance for worship services with 93 percent saying it is in their top three in terms of attendance.
That’s the case for the churches, but what about for all Americans? Do they value Easter attendance like churches do?
According to a new LifeWay Research survey, attending church on Easter Sunday is not a cut-and-dry decision for everyone– even for self-identified Christians. While similar numbers of Americans plan on attending (41 percent) as are not planning to attend (39 percent) an Easter worship service, 20 percent say they are undecided.
- Thirty-nine percent of those who rarely attend religious services and 19 percent of those who only attend on religious holidays haven’t decided if they will attend an Easter service.
- Eighteen percent who attend only on religious holidays do not plan to attend on Easter, as do 92 percent who never go to church.
- About half (48 percent) of Americans who say they rarely attend church do not plan on attending at Easter.
- Just over half of self-identified Christians say they will attend Easter services.
- Protestants (58) percent) and Catholics (57 percent) are most likely to say they plan on attending Easter services, followed by 45 percent of nondenominational Christians.
