A new LifeWay Research report shows an overwhelming majority of Protestant churches will host services on Sunday, December 25, and nearly two in three will host both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. Only six percent will host a Christmas Eve service without a Christmas Day service, and 28 percent will host a Christmas Day service but no service on Christmas Eve.
“Having church on Christmas Day when it falls on a Sunday seems as if it would be as much of a given as having Thanksgiving on a Thursday, but this has been an issue of discussion and contention in recent years,” said Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research. “Churches see these conflicting values.” In a survey last year, LifeWay determined that 67 percent of Americans agree “many of the things they enjoy during the Christmas season have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus Christ.”
In addition, 88 percent of Protestant pastors plan to host services on New Year’s Day, which also falls on a Sunday this year.
To read the entire report, click here.
