Churches are only as strong as their membership and are dependent on their members for financial support and service to keep operating. Because it is unlikely that people who do not have a religious preference will become church members, the challenge for
church leaders is to encourage those who do affiliate with a specific faith to become formal, and active, church members.
While precise numbers of church closures are elusive, a conservative estimate is that thousands of U. S. churches are closing each year.
In 2020, Gallup asked a random sample of 6117 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U. S. states and the District of Columbia, if
they are members of a church, synagogue, or mosque. 2875 said yes.
Is this convincing evidence that less than half of U. S. adults are members of a church, synagogue, or mosque?