Council of Churches hosts Easter sunrise service to connect with Springfield community

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Some people across the Ozarks are gathering for Easter Sunday services for the first time in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Council of Churches generally hosts an Easter sunrise service every year. With the last two years being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, church leaders are hoping that this year’s Easter services will help them reconnect with the community.

“Certainly, in seasons of change, in all kinds of sectors all throughout the world, the church community is seeing a change as well,” said Philip Herzog, Director of Community Engagement for the Council of Churches. “It’s just a new season, and so one beauty of this program and the service really is that we get to bring a bunch of people together who may not ordinarily walk into a church.”

Since the pandemic, churches have seen a decline in membership. A national study finds only around half of Americans say that faith is important to them.

A Gallup study found that there has been a significant drop in church membership over the last 10 years, in addition to the number of Americans claiming to be people of faith. According to the study, the decline in church membership appears largely tied to population change. Older generations who were likely to be church members are being replaced with people in younger generations who are less likely to belong.

This is the first time less than half the population has claimed church home since Gallup began surveying in 1937. With only 36% of millennials belonging to a church, leaders from the Council of Churches are hoping that Easter services will help people reconnect with their faith.

“Through COVID, I think we’ve all been humbled in a way that has not happened in centuries in our country,” said Herzog. “In Springfield, we have a lot of needs and gaps, whether it’s kids in school having challenges there, or seniors who are homebound. That’s one thing the council does help with. A lot of our churches partner together to serve those people, but especially in terms of worship, where do we go to worship and what does that look like?”

The study stated that seven in 10 Americans are still connected to some form of organized religion.

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