Church Growth in 2025: What 252 Churches Reveal About Worship Style and Online Streaming

Based on The Unstuck Group’s Q3 2025 Report Analysis

The worship wars of the 1990s and early 2000s may be over, but their impact still shapes church growth patterns today. New data from The Unstuck Group reveals surprising connections between worship style, online engagement, and church growth that every church leader should understand.

The Data Behind the Discussion

The Unstuck Group, a consulting firm specializing in helping churches achieve growth, surveyed 252 churches with weekly in-person attendance ranging from 100 to over 12,000 people. The average attendance across these churches was 1,169 people (though larger churches skew this number upward).

Important context: These aren’t random churches. The Unstuck Group works with churches actively pursuing growth, meaning this data reflects trends among churches that are intentionally trying to reach more people, not the church landscape as a whole.

The Worship Style Divide

76% Now Offer Only Modern/Contemporary Worship

Three-quarters of surveyed churches have moved away from offering multiple worship styles, focusing exclusively on modern or contemporary services. This represents a significant shift from the multi-service model that dominated church strategy for decades.

Declining Churches Juggle Multiple Styles

Here’s the stark reality: churches trying to maintain multiple worship styles are much more likely to be declining.This isn’t about one style being “better” than another—it’s about the strategic and pastoral challenges of leading two essentially different congregations under one roof.

The challenge is real: When you’re running both traditional and contemporary services, you’re essentially pastoring two different churches with different expectations, different cultural expressions, and often different demographics. This creates several problems:

• Divided staff energy and focus
• Resource allocation conflicts (budget, volunteers, space)
• Identity confusion (“Who are we as a church?”)
• Generational tension instead of intergenerational unity

The Case for Unity Over Variety

Moving beyond the worship wars requires a shift in thinking: churches need to be one church, not two churches meeting in the same building. This means:

Living in the Tension

Rather than creating separate services to avoid conflict, healthy churches learn to live in the tension of different preferences. This requires:

• Old people being excited that young people are coming to church
• Young people being respectful that the church is mostly supported by older generations
• Everyone understanding that not every service element will match their preference

The goal isn’t making everyone happy all the time—it’s creating unity around a shared vision.

Excellence in Your Chosen Style

Whether traditional or contemporary, people respond to excellence and vibrancy. Dead worship—regardless of style—pushes people away. Living, passionate worship draws people in.

Two local examples:

• First Baptist Melbourne: Embraced traditional worship, built a beautiful building for it, and owns that identity with excellence
• Elevation Church: Pursues cutting-edge contemporary worship with full commitment

Both approaches work when executed with passion, skill, and clear vision. What doesn’t work is halfhearted commitment to either style or constant wavering between them.

The Vision Problem

If you sigh when preparing for a specific service style, you’ve already lost. Leaders can’t effectively cast vision for something they don’t believe in. When worship leaders or pastors reluctantly lead a style they don’t value, it shows, and the congregation feels it.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” This applies to worship style as much as anything else in church life.

The Technical Reality: Space Dictates Style

Churches often overlook a crucial factor: your building was designed for a specific type of worship, and fighting against that design creates problems.

Traditional Spaces Going Contemporary

If your church wants to shift from traditional to contemporary worship but you’re in a traditional space, prepare to invest in:

• Acoustic treatment to control room reverb
• Modern PA system with better intelligibility for band-based worship
• Strategic lighting to create contemporary atmosphere
• Video capabilities that work in a traditional aesthetic

Practical tip: Until you can properly treat the space, adjust your approach. Use a cajon instead of drums in a live room. Scale back electric guitars in spaces where mid-range frequencies crowd out vocals. Work within your limitations while moving toward your vision.

Making Historic Spaces Work

Some of the most compelling contemporary worship happens in historic church buildings that preserve traditional aesthetics while upgrading systems to support modern music. The goal: vibrant, relevant worship that still feels rooted in historic faith.

This requires:

• Preserving architectural elements (stained glass, vaulted ceilings, natural wood)
• Treating the space acoustically for flexible music styles
• Installing modern AV that doesn’t visually dominate the historic aesthetic
• Building worship teams that can bridge traditional and contemporary expressions

The Online Streaming Revolution

Perhaps the most significant finding in The Unstuck Group’s report relates to online engagement and church growth.

The Numbers Tell the Story

• 96% of surveyed churches now offer online services (up from ~20% pre-COVID)
• Online viewership jumped 22% over the last year
• Online views are a lead indicator for church growth
• 40% of online viewers are first-time visitors (Gloo data)
• 25% of churches report membership growth tied directly to online services (Gloo data)

Online Views Predict Growth

This is the game-changer: If your online views are increasing, you’re likely a growing church. While we don’t have all the methodology details, the correlation is clear—churches that see growing online engagement tend to see growing in-person attendance.

Why This Matters

Online streaming isn’t competing with in-person attendance—it’s the front door. In 2025, people research churches online before ever visiting in person. They want to:

• Check out the website and “What We Believe” page
• Watch a service to gauge preaching style
• Assess worship quality and church culture
• Determine if it’s a good fit before committing to a visit

Zero chance most people walk into a church building without this digital front door experience first.

The Quality Debate

Some church leaders argue: “If you can’t do streaming right, don’t do it at all.” But the data suggests otherwise. The barrier to quality streaming has never been lower:

• Budget-friendly PTZ cameras (a couple thousand dollars each)
• Simple 1-2 camera setups can produce excellent results
• Good audio and lighting matter more than expensive cameras
• The cost of NOT streaming (missed growth opportunities) likely exceeds the investment

Focus hierarchy for streaming:

1. Audio first – People will watch bad video with good audio, but not bad audio with good video
2. Lighting second – Proper stage lighting makes any camera look better
3. Camera quality third – Even modest cameras work well with good audio and lighting

Budget Reality

In most church AV projects, the broadcast section is one of the smallest budget items. The majority of spending goes to:

• PA systems (which benefit both in-person and online)
• Lighting (which benefits both in-person and online)
• In-room experience upgrades

The cameras, switchers, and streaming equipment are relatively inexpensive add-ons that leverage your primary investments in sound and lighting.

Contemporary Worship and Online Engagement

Churches with contemporary worship styles see significantly more online engagement. This likely relates to:

• Younger demographics being more digitally native
• Musical style translating better to recorded formats
• Production values that contemporary churches typically emphasize
• Cultural relevance that resonates beyond the building

Note: This doesn’t mean traditional churches shouldn’t stream. Homebound members, elderly congregants, and those unable to attend still benefit tremendously from online access. But if growth through online engagement is a goal, contemporary worship appears to create more momentum.

Debunking the Streaming Myths

Myth #1: Streaming Hurts In-Person Attendance

Reality: People who engage online are often the same people attending in person. They’re not replacing attendance—they’re staying connected during vacation, catching up on missed weeks, or previewing before visiting.

Myth #2: Only Perfect Quality Matters

Reality: People can discern content quality regardless of production quality. A terrible singer sounds terrible on expensive or cheap cameras. Focus on excellence in ministry first, then make that excellent ministry accessible online.

Myth #3: We Need Expensive Equipment

Reality: The cost barrier has never been lower. A value-oriented system with 1-2 PTZ cameras, decent audio interface, and basic lighting can produce high-definition streams that serve your growth goals.

Practical Applications

For Churches with Multiple Worship Styles

Consider consolidation. If you’re declining or plateaued while juggling multiple styles:

1. Cast vision for unity – Help people understand why being one church matters more than preference
2. Choose your primary style – Make a clear decision and commit to excellence
3. Honor the past – Incorporate elements from other traditions thoughtfully
4. Live in tension – Don’t try to make everyone happy; try to make everyone unified

For Churches Avoiding Streaming

Reconsider your position. The data is clear—online presence correlates with growth. If you’re not streaming:

1. Start simple – One camera, good audio, basic lighting
2. Focus on audio quality first – This matters more than anything visual
3. See it as your front door – It’s primarily marketing and accessibility
4. Test and learn – Don’t wait for perfection; start and improve

For Churches Already Streaming

Optimize your approach:

1. Track your metrics – Are online views increasing? This predicts growth
2. Improve audio first – If you’re upgrading, start with sound
3. Make it discoverable – Ensure your streams are easy to find and access
4. Cast vision in-person – Make clear that online is supplementary, not primary

The Generation Z Factor

The younger generation offers hope for bridging traditional and contemporary tensions. Generation Z tends to:

• Value authenticity over production slickness
• Appreciate simplicity in worship expression
• Respect historical elements when done well and integrated meaningfully
• Focus on substance over style

This creates opportunity for churches to incorporate hymns, liturgical elements, and historical practices without alienating younger members—if it’s done with excellence and genuine conviction.

The Bottom Line

The data points toward clear trends:

1. Unity over variety – Churches focusing on one worship style see more growth than those juggling multiple
2. Excellence matters – Whether traditional or contemporary, passionate and skillful worship attracts people
3. Online is essential – 96% of churches stream, and online views predict growth
4. Lower barriers – The cost of quality streaming has never been more accessible
5. Front door effect – Online services function primarily as marketing and accessibility, not replacement

The worship wars are over, but their legacy remains in multi-service models that may be limiting growth potential.Churches willing to pursue unity around a clear vision—while leveraging accessible online technology—position themselves for growth in 2025 and beyond.