Lessons and Takeaways From Easter Sunday 2025

Did your church experience a bumper attendance on Easter Sunday 2025? Honestly, we’d be surprised if you didn’t. The buzz coming out of this year’s Easter services was that church attendance was as strong as we’ve seen it in years. 

The question for church leaders is: what’s next? Let’s look at the latest data on Easter church engagement and consider what it means for the church moving forward.

Easter Sunday 2025: Record-Breaking Attendance Across America

Let’s start with the present. This past week, Easter Sunday saw record-breaking numbers of people flock to churches across America in search of God and Christian community. One report from Crosswalk sourced direct quotes and updates from churches in multiple regions, including Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Ohio, and Florida, that were bursting at the seams. Salvations were numerous. 

Just hop on a social site and check the posts from any pastors in your network, and you’ll probably find similar sentiments. Everywhere you turn, this Easter was a day when people were not just attending church but re-engaging with God. Josh Howerton of Lakepointe Church in Florida referred to it as “more than a ‘vibe shift.’ Tectonic plates shifting.”

Yeah. We’re feeling it too. The best part is that this isn’t new, nor is it temporary. There is very real momentum and movement back toward the church right now. Pew Research reported earlier this year that its 2023-2024 Religious Landscape Study found the decline of Christianity has leveled off and possibly reversed course after hitting a nadir in recent attendance in 2022. It added that 62% of US adults describe themselves as Christians at the moment. 

A brand new Barna report puts the number of US adults who have “made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today” at 66%. USAToday added that more data points to Gen Z returning to church. Of that group, younger men are more likely to stay in church than women, too (a rarity in Christian history). 

A groundswell. A dynamic shift. A cultural wave. A spiritual revolution. A prodigal return. Call it what you will — something big is happening. Even secular publications are aware of it. The USAToday article started with the dek: “It's not time to call this a revival, but something is stirring in the culture. Christians would do well to pay attention, live out their faith and step into the opportunity to share with others.”

The question is, what should Christians — especially Christian leaders — do next to ensure that they are sharing with and caring for this growing group?

What’s Next for the Church?

When Ministry Solution Group’s Principal and CEO Nathan, sent out our weekly email, he celebrated the exciting resurgence in church attendance. However, he was quick to refocus and recognize that Easter is just one day. “What are you going to do with that growth?” he asked.

It’s a fair question. Easter is important, and we already knew that it was one of the biggest attendance days of the year. But there are 364 other days in the year. If the numbers we saw this past Sunday are indicative of a genuine long-term shift in a positive direction, what should church leaders be doing to respond to this uptick in attention and attendance? 

As a group committed to helping churches solve the issues that keep ministries from reaching maximum impact, a couple of practical things come to mind. Remember, Easter busyness is excusable, but if people are arriving at your church each week and struggling to find parking or a seat, they’re going to quickly shift from “I attend that church” to “I attended that church.” 

One way you can practically prepare is through building activation. This is a term that we use a lot at Ministry Solutions Group as a reference to tapping your building’s untapped potential. After all, the most efficient way to get more space for your church is to use your existing space more. 

This starts with multiple services, but it can also include things like setting up daycares and coffee shops to offset expenses and amplify outreach. If you see attendance rising, building activation is a critical step in ensuring that you’re using your existing space wisely as you pursue your missional goals.

The other primary consideration for a full church is how to get more space. Chances are, if you saw a ton of people flooding your building on Sunday, you started thinking about bigger spaces right away. You want to start planning for more space now so that when your average attendance (which is probably a bit lower than your Easter service) maxes out your auditorium, you have a roadmap already in place. Of course, you can get more space in multiple ways, including:

• Expanding your existing church real estate.
• Opening a multisite campus.
• Merging with another church.

There are tons of questions that come with each of these options. Do you have the budget for a multi-million-dollar expansion? If you go multisite, should you build, buy, lease, or merge? Is it time to go multi-city with your mission and message? These are all valid and should factor into your information-gathering stages before you make any decisions.

The First Step Forward Is Already Clear

It’s equal parts exciting and overwhelming coming out of a weekend like Easter 2025. As you consider things like building optimization and multisite strategy, your first step should already be clear.

In Matthew 6, Jesus talks about the needs of life and how we can trust God to address them without worry and anxiety on our own part. In verse 33, he famously says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Slowing down and seeking God is a key step in making major ministry decisions. Start there. 

We also recommend revisiting your ministry’s mission, goals, and overall model. Refresh your leadership team on what it is you’re trying to do and how you’re trying to do it. This helps you stay on target as you consider your options and opportunities.

If you need support in navigating this process and setting the stage for growth as you see your church attendance surge, our team can help. Our Clear Path Forward analysis is a process designed to assess your current situation and inform your plans through the wisdom and resources of a team that has managed over $1 billion in church projects. If you see the need to fill a gap as you make these big decisions for your church, we’re here to help. Let’s connect!

Easter 2025 was just the beginning. God is doing something special in America right now. Let’s make sure we’re aligning our hearts, our minds, our teams, and our facilities for maximum impact as we seek His will and build the kingdom together in the months and years ahead.