Steve Bezner said the attendance in his church varied as it encountered different setbacks. Bezner is the senior pastor of Houston Northwest Church. 

Church Attendance Ebbs and Flows

In a report with Christianity Today, the church encountered Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The facility experienced damage and had to be repaired. 

By the time repairs were done and ready for full capacity, the pandemic had happened. Bezner called the COVID-19 pandemic a blow to the church's cash flow. 

He has seen church attendance ebb and flows in recent years. Bezner said most of his congregation now are new faces. 

The church now has 1,600 attendees every week. Around several hundred attend services online. Bezner said these numbers are not far from the 1,700 attendance before the pandemic. 

Loneliness Due to Isolation

He told the news outlet that he marveled at the number of members who left and those new people who showed up to take their place. 

The senior pastor pointed out that the numbers would make people believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Most of the new attendees come from an apartment complex across the street. The attendees are single adults who live alone. Bezner explained they felt the psychological pressure of loneliness due to isolation.

They also felt the need to check the church out. The senior pastor knew the adults wanted to experience who God was. 

Member Turnover is Common

According to the article, member turnover is common in churches. The pandemic has only hastened the cycle. 

Many people have a desire for connection and spiritual grounding. The article said that isolation affected everyone in the community. 

The pandemic has also given parishioners who lived far from their church to engage with others. 

Steve Smith is the executive pastor of Highpoint Church in Naperville. He noted that isolation has stirred up questions among those in the faith.

The pastor stressed that the gospel has not changed. He assured his congregation that the church would always be Bible-centric. 

Smith clarified that they changed the way they engaged people. 

According to the article, the pandemic has led people to change their lives, such as career shifts. These said changes were done either out of necessity or because of a change of perspective. 

Positive Impacts

A study with Pew Research Center found out that some people found some positive impacts because of the pandemic. 

The 27-year-old Elisa Hoover shared that she was ready to have a fresh start after having difficulty in her youth group. 

Hoover explained that it was easier to visit other churches during the pandemic. She added that her absence was less felt because fewer people attended in-person services. 

Dylan Parker and his wife also found their church was far from where they stayed. The couple decided to find one that was closer to them.

They soon found themselves moving to California. The couple now lives within walking distance of their new church. 

Parker said they are friends with other members of their congregation. He noted that they felt a stronger connection with their church than their old community. 

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