Do you sometimes miss out on Sunday morning worship services because you have to work? You’re not alone, and the church is taking notice.
About 1 in 4 Protestant church-goers who have a job are required to work Sunday mornings at least once a month, according to a recent Lifeway Research survey.
The study found most churchgoers have a job that allows them to gather with their church on Sunday mornings. Two in 5 (41%) say their job never requires them to work on Sunday; 36% say they do not have a job.
Of the 23% who are required to work on Sunday morning, 5% have to work that time each week; 6%, twice a month or more; 4%, once a month; 5%, a few times a year; and 2%, once a year or less.
Among churchgoers who have a job, 64% never have to work on Sunday mornings; yet more than a third (36%) are required to at least occasionally clock in during those hours. For 8%, their job requires them to work every Sunday.
Working people
While larger churches may be more likely to offer nontraditional times for worship services, those who attend smaller churches are more likely to work occasionally on Sunday mornings.
Among those surveyed who attend a church of less than 50 people, 28% said they work at least one Sunday a month; 33% of those who attend a church of 50 to 99 people work at least one Sunday a month, as do 25% of those who attend a church of 100 to 249 people. Among those who attend a church of 500 people or more, only 12% said they work at least once a month on Sunday morning.
Offering outreach
Such statistics regarding churchgoers working on Sunday mornings offer outreach opportunities.
“When a local body of believers cannot all meet together, it is missing out on its purpose,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “While a traditional Sunday morning meeting time works for most, it isn’t possible for all to attend.”
Joby Martin, lead pastor of The Church of Eleven22, Jacksonville, Florida, told Lifeway Research that churches have a unique opportunity to reach this demographic by offering a service on a different day of the week.
“Because of other things happening at the church at the time, Thursday night was the only option available,” Martin said. “It was an accident, but God breathed on it like crazy.” Members embraced the idea, he said.
The recent Lifeway poll was based on a survey of 1,002 American Protestant churchgoers.
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