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Blackbaud Releases New Survey Results Revealing Churches' Response to the Pandemic
Survey of over 500 churches illustrates the impact of COVID-19 and churches' plans for the future CHARLESTON, S.C., July 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackbaud
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[{"type":"text","content":"Survey of over 500 churches illustrates the impact of COVID-19 and churches' plans for the future\n\n\nCHARLESTON, S.C., July 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackbaud (NASDAQ: BLKB), the world's leading cloud software company powering social good, in conjunction with The Unstuck Group releases the results of The Unstuck Church Report: How Churches are Positioning for the Future. The report details survey results from more than 500 churches ranging in size from under 100 to more than 5,000 in attendance (prior to the COVID-19 shutdowns) during the month of May and the impacts of the pandemic on their congregations and ministries. \nKey takeaways from the report include: \nMost churches aren't ready to open their doors yet More than half of the churches surveyed have plans to reopen their buildings in the coming months, and only 6% have resumed in-person services to date. Nearly all churches that have reopened their buildings are experiencing lower attendance than pre-pandemic. Larger churches are more likely to be actively discussing longer-term changes to ministry methods, which includes 96% of both large churches and megachurches that are anticipating a new normal. Online engagement continues to increase Two-thirds of churches indicated online engagement since the onset of the pandemic has increased compared to in-person attendance prior to COVID-19. Most churches, including all megachurches and more than 70% of small churches surveyed, are now offering online small groups. Additionally, 45% of churches indicated that small group engagement has increased since COVID-19. In April, Blackbaud launched its virtual small group capability in a matter of days following customer feedback that this technology would be helpful during the pandemic. The new capability is available at no additional cost through Blackbaud Church Management™ or its native app, MobileMission™. Giving remains strong and churches are financially stable Two-thirds of churches surveyed indicated that giving has increased or stayed the same during the pandemic. More than 80% of churches reported having adequate cash reserves set aside in preparation for a crisis like COVID-19. For decades, Blackbaud has been helping thousands of denominations and ministries connect their organizations, including now through Blackbaud Church Management, which is digitally transforming the...