Study of COVID-19 Impact on Assemblies of God Church Giving

This research article investigates the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. Assemblies of God church giving. The study aims to understand how the pandemic affected church collections, attendance, and the adoption of digital donation methods. It tests three hypotheses regarding the relationship between church attendance and collections, the resilience of larger churches compared to smaller ones, and the increase in digital giving. Key findings indicate a 9% drop in collections during the initial six months of the pandemic, followed by a recovery that still left giving below pre-pandemic levels when adjusted for inflation. The number of donors decreased significantly, posing risks to long-term sustainability. However, per donor giving increased by 16% during the pandemic's first year. The study also highlights the rapid adoption of digital giving methods, with a notable increase in both the share of congregants using these methods and the total collections received digitally. The methodology involved analyzing five years of giving data from 201 Assemblies of God churches across the U.S.