Key Takeaways:
• Churches across America are increasingly closing their doors on Sundays, often during so-called “low attendance” weekends.
• This trend is intentional, growing, and largely unchallenged within church leadership.
• Locked church doors turn away first-time visitors, seekers, the hurting, and the spiritually desperate.
• Online-only services cannot replace in-person worship, fellowship, prayer, and accountability.
• Scripture explicitly warns against neglecting to meet together, especially in the last days.
• Closing church doors reflects a deeper shift from calling to convenience inside the modern Church.
• Pastors who refuse to close — even under pressure — demonstrate a biblical model of servant leadership.
A Silent Trend Is Sweeping America’s Churches — And It Should Alarm Every Believer
Something unprecedented is happening in churches across America: congregations are choosing to close their doors on Sundays by design. What is often described as “Low Attendance Sunday” or “giving volunteers a break” has become a nationwide trend with serious spiritual consequences.
In this article and accompanying podcast, Craig and Shelly Huey expose why closing churches undermines the Church’s mission, harms seekers and believers alike, contradicts biblical instruction, and signals a troubling shift toward convenience-driven Christianity.
It didn’t make sense.
Sunday morning.
Cars pulling into church.
People expecting worship.
But locked doors.
The church was closed.
No note.
No announcement.
Just silence.
What began as a confusing moment quickly became a disturbing realization.
This wasn’t an isolated incident.
It was a new pattern.
Across an entire region — church after church after church — doors were closed.
Some called it “Low Attendance Sunday.” Others framed it as giving volunteers a break. A few offered an online option.
But here’s the question no one seems willing to ask:
What about the people who show up anyway?
The first-time visitor. The struggling marriage. The person on the edge. The seeker who finally worked up the courage to walk through the door.
The Church is a beacon of light.
So what happens when the lights are turned off?
In a recent Huey Alert podcast, Craig and Shelly Huey share firsthand experiences that reveal a troubling nationwide trend — one most pastors have never been challenged on, and many Christians don’t even realize exists.
They talk about:
• Churches choosing convenience over calling
• Why “online church” can’t replace fellowship, prayer, and presence
• The Scripture that directly confronts the habit of neglecting assembly
• Why this trend didn’t start with COVID but was accelerated by it
• And why some pastors refuse to close their doors, no matter the cost
This is not an attack on the Church or pastors.
It’s a wake-up call for the Church and pastors.
Because the Gospel was never meant to be convenient.
And ministry doesn’t stop when attendance dips.
As Craig explains in the podcast, you never know who will walk through the door on any given Sunday — and what eternal impact a single open service might have.
That’s why this conversation matters.
Plus Craig and Shelly discuss special situations for closing a church. Such as when Craig was a guest pastor for a Sunday morning.
The people came. But the door was locked with a giant chain.
Why… and what Craig did is detailed.
And why it needs to be shared.
Watch or listen to the full podcast below.
Then do something important.
Send it to your pastor. Forward it to your elders. Share it with church leaders you respect.
The Church was never meant to sleep.
And it was never meant to lock its doors. To watch the podcast, click the links below:
To listen only to the audio version of the podcast, click any of the following links:
Amazon Music
FAQs:
Q: What is the growing church trend few people are discussing?
A: Churches intentionally closing on Sundays due to low attendance or convenience, often replacing in-person worship with online services.
Q: Why are churches closing on Sundays?
A: Many churches cite low attendance, volunteer fatigue, or scheduling convenience. Some offer online-only services instead of in-person worship. However, these decisions are increasingly being made without considering the spiritual impact on seekers and struggling believers.
Q: Is this happening nationwide or just in isolated areas?
A: This trend is growing nationwide. While not every church participates, reports of Sunday closures are increasing across regions, denominations, and church sizes, often without congregational discussion.
Q: What does the Bible say about closing church services?
A: Scripture strongly emphasizes gathering together. Hebrews 10:25 specifically warns believers not to neglect meeting together, especially as Christ’s return approaches. The early Church met constantly — publicly and from house to house.
Q: Is online church a sufficient replacement for in-person worship?
A: No. While online services can help those who are sick or homebound, they cannot replace physical fellowship, communal worship, prayer, accountability, or personal ministry — all central to biblical Christianity.
Q: Who is most affected when churches close their doors?
A: First-time visitors, seekers, the broken, the lonely, and those in crisis are most affected. Many finally work up the courage to attend church — only to arrive at locked doors and silence.
Q: Did this trend begin during COVID?
A: The pandemic accelerated it, but the mindset existed before. COVID normalized closures and convenience-based decisions that some churches have continued even after restrictions ended.
Q: Should pastors ever cancel services?
A: Extreme emergencies may require flexibility, but habitual or scheduled Sunday closures contradict the Church’s mission. The Gospel was never meant to be delivered only when it is convenient.
Q: What can church members do if their church closes on Sundays?
A: Members should lovingly and respectfully engage church leadership, ask biblical questions, and advocate for keeping doors open — even if services must be simplified.
About Craig Huey:
Craig Huey is a Christian commentator, author, and co-host of the Huey Alert Podcast, where faith, culture, and biblical truth intersect. Along with his wife Shelly, he addresses trends impacting churches, believers, and religious liberty in America.