As the U.S. continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic by extending social distancing practices through the end of April, church leaders across the nation are coming to terms with the fact that Easter 2020 is going to look much different than in years past.

Over the last two weeks, Barna has been collecting data from church leaders across the country, asking what they plan to do for this year’s Easter services in light of the current crisis. Many pastors share a plan to host Easter services digitally, though some say their congregations will still meet, while others are thinking of cancelling Easter services until further notice.

Also included in this article is expert commentary from Nona Jones and Bobby Gruenewald, who joined Carey Nieuwhof and David Kinnaman on the ChurchPulse Weekly podcast last week to discuss the data and offer valuable insight to church leaders for the coming days. You can watch the most recent ChurchPulse Weekly episode here or stream the audio on your favorite podcast app.

Many Church Leaders Plan to Host Digital Easter as They Continue Adjusting to Ministry Changes Overall, a majority of pastors (82%) says that their church has already made changes to their methods of ministry, with seven in 10 (70%) indicating that they are still adjusting and 12 percent sharing satisfaction with their ministerial changes. Another 8 percent of church leaders report just beginning to make changes and 6 percent say they are planning changes. Just 1 percent said they weren’t planning to make any changes, with 3 percent saying they were unsure if changes were going to be made.

With Easter just around the corner, a majority of pastors (58%) says they plan to hold a digital service with 45 percent sharing plans to livestream online and another 13 percent recording an Easter message to send out to congregants. While one in five (20%) admits there is no plan in place yet, others say they will hold an outdoor service (10%), find another unique way to convene (5%) or meet as usual (2%) this Easter. Just 5 percent plan to postpone their Easter celebration for the time being.