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Study suggests online religious services may be less effective than in person

By Filings on Thu, 08/21/25
Church & Ministry
Online Church
Church Attendance
Research

“On average, people attending church in person had a higher heart rate during the service and experienced more transcendence, according to a recent study.” - RNS

Discussion

Profile picture for user Aaron Blumer
Aaron Blumer

NewHmmm

Thu, 08/21/25

Researchers seem to have missed the point.

Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.

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Larry Nelson

NewYeah, it's unclear to me why…

Thu, 08/21/25

Yeah, it's unclear to me why higher heart rate & number of calories burned is considered a criterion on the "effectiveness" of in-person vs. online.

Would the online service become the more "effective" if the person viewing it was using a treadmill or an elliptical machine at the time? =)

Profile picture for user Bert Perry
Bert Perry

NewPilates or Zumba service

Thu, 08/21/25

Somehow the image of hardwood floors for pilates, or perhaps squat racks for powerlifting, would seem to be the new church architecture model with this study....

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.

Related . . .

Topics: Online Church, Church Attendance, Ministry Technology, Barna Research
  • Barna: 40% of Christians Wouldn’t Attend Their Church If It Was Solely Online
  • Online churches don't hurt local church growth: study
  • Deep Discipleship in a Digital Age: Rethinking Church, Ministry, and Life Together in an Online World
  • Pew: Online Religious Services Appeal to Many Americans, but Going in Person Remains More Popular
  • “Place” has been redefined and reimagined. So, what are the implications for churches?

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