LifeWay Research samples churches’ Christmas, New Year’s plans

NASHVILLE (BP and local reports) – On a special Sunday Christmas Day this year, churches in Mississippi and across the country plan to welcome “all ye faithful” and anyone else who wants to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Eighty-four percent of U.S. Protestant pastors say their churches plan to have services on Christmas Day, according to a Lifeway Research study. Seventy-one percent say the same about Christmas Eve.

Eighty-five percent of survey respondents plan on hosting New Year’s Day services the following Sunday, with 21% hosting a Saturday New Year’s Eve gathering. Only two percent are not planning on having services on any of those days.

“Families have many traditions on Christmas morning, and most pastors acknowledge not as many of their members will be present compared to Christmas Eve and services earlier in the month,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “However, churches not holding services on Christmas Day are still the exception.”

Christmas observances

Churches recognize Christmas Eve specifically and the holiday season in general as a high attendance time, and most plan to capitalize on the potential crowds by hosting services.

Overall, churches have similar plans as they did six years ago, according to a 2016 Lifeway Research study.

In 2016, the last time Christmas fell on a Sunday, 71% of U.S. Protestant churches in the survey planned to hold a Christmas Eve service, the same percentage as this year. On Christmas Day, slightly fewer churches plan to be open this year compared to six years ago (89% in 2016 v. 84% in 2022).

This year, 60% plan to have church services on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and 25% will have only a Christmas Day service.

Eleven percent plan to only have a Christmas Eve service, higher than the eight percent in 2016.

“Only six percent of Protestant churches will skip both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day services, likely including traditions that don’t meet on Sundays,” McConnell said.

“Churches that do not meet when these holidays land on Sunday often say it’s for staff and members to spend time with their families, but few want to disrupt the churchgoing rhythm by missing two weeks in a row,” he observed.

Several demographic groups of churches are more likely to be making plans for Christmas Eve services, according to the 2022 survey. Churches with younger pastors, those ages 18 – 44, are more likely than churches with the oldest pastors, those ages 65 and older, to say they’ll have a Christmas Eve service (76% v. 65%).

White pastors (74%) said their churches are more likely to host a Christmas Eve service than Hispanic pastors (62%) and African American pastors (38%). Pastors in the South (64%) are the least likely to say their churches will be gathering on Christmas Eve.

Denominationally, Lutherans (95%), Methodists (91%) and Presbyterian/Reformed (84%) are more likely than non-denominational churches (64%), Baptists (60%), Restorationist movement, (52%) or Pentecostals (45%) to be making plans for Christmas Eve services.

For those wanting to worship on Christmas Day, larger congregations and those churches with an African American pastor are more likely to be open than non-denominational churches or those in the West.

African American churches (93%) are more likely than Hispanic churches (80%) to make plans for Christmas Day services. Churches in the West (74%) and non-denominational churches (61%) are among the least likely.

Churches with 250 or more in attendance (90%) are more likely than those with fewer than 50 in attendance (80%) to plan for a Sunday service on Christmas Day.

Ringing in the new year

Similar to Christmas services, few churches are making changes to their New Year’s plans compared to 2016. Today, 85% of U.S. Protestant churches plan to hold services on New Year’s Day, unchanged from six years ago.

Slightly fewer pastors plan to hold New Year’s Eve services this year (25 % in 2016 v. 21% in 2022). In 2022, 16% of churches plan to have both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day services, lower than the 20% from 2016.

Most churches in the survey (69%) are planning to have only a New Year’s Day service on Sunday, while five percent are planning on only having a New Year’s Eve Saturday service. Eight percent aren’t planning to hold a service on either day.

“Some churches meet on New Year’s Eve for a service followed by fun and fellowship,” said McConnell. “Others have a late-night or watch night service reflecting on the past year with spiritually significant times of prayer and observing communion.

“For African American churches holding services, there is also observance of Emancipation as it was first anticipated on the eve of Jan. 1, 1863. Even among groups where New Year’s Eve services are most common, it’s still a minority who gather that day,” he pointed out.

While New Year’s Eve is the day during this season when the fewest U.S. Protestant churches plan to hold services, there are some churches that are more likely to gather on the last day of the year. Churches in the survey with the oldest pastors, those ages 65 and older, are more likely than the churches with the youngest pastors, ages 18 – 44 (24% v. 17%).

African American (45%) and Hispanic churches (45%) in the survey are more than twice as likely as white churches (17%) to make plans for New Year’s Eve. Pentecostal churches (34%) are more likely than Baptists (23%), Methodists (20%), Restorationist movement pastors (14%) and Presbyterian/Reformed (five percent).

On New Year’s Day there are several groups of churches that are more likely to treat it as a normal Sunday and have services. Churches with pastors under the age of 55 (88%) are more likely than those with pastors ages 65 and older (81%).

White churches (87%) are more likely than African American (77%) and Hispanic churches (77%). Those in the Midwest (87%) and South (86%) are more likely than those in the West (79%) to plan for a New Year’s Day gathering.

Restorationist movement (94%) and Baptist churches in the survey (92%) are more likely than Methodist (82%), non-denominational (76%) and Pentecostal churches (71%) to plan services for New Year’s Day. Those at churches with more than 100 in attendance (90%) are more likely than those with fewer than 50 in attendance on a normal Sunday (80%).

The next year that Christmas Day and New Year’s Day will fall on a Sunday is 2033.

For more information, view the complete report and visit LifewayResearch.com.