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Luis Andres Henao/Associated Press

  • Congregants sit in largely empty pews during service at Zion Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., on Sunday, April 16, 2023. Zion's shrinking attendance is in line with a recent Pew Research Center survey, which found that the number of Black Protestants who say they attend services monthly has fallen from 61% in 2019 to 46%. They are also the only group in which more than half attend services virtually. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
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    Black Protestant church still vital despite attendance drop
    Luis Andres Henao/Associated Press
    The wide empty spaces in pews between parishioners at a Sunday service at Zion Baptist Church in South Carolina's capital highlight a post-pandemic reality common among many Black Protestant churches across the nation. According to a new Pew Research Center survey, attendance fell 15 percentage points at Black Protestant churches after the COVID outbreak. Researchers say no other major religious group has registered a decline of this magnitude. Despite the drop, pastors and parishioners say Black churches remain fundamental to Black communities, providing refuge and hope, especially during times of challenge.