2026 at a glance
Key takeaways
What this data is telling us
- Weekend attendance is the highest on record — 1,037 average through the reporting window, up 2% over 2025. Growth is positive but under the 5% growth goal.
- Adults in circles continues to climb — 593 adults (68%) are in a circle, the strongest on record. The 70% goal is within reach.
- The key watch areas are attendance growth (2%), regular serving (48%), and unique donors (29%) — each sits below its 2026 goal and is worth deliberate leadership attention this half of the year.
- Student ministry is the most concerning trend — average students has fallen from 103 in 2024 to 74 in 2026 (13% → 8% of attendance), consistently under the 10–15% goal and still declining.
- Kids attendance is holding steady — near the lower edge of the 15–25% goal. 162 average (16% of attendance) in 2026, after peaking at 168; the trend has leveled off, giving children's ministry a stable base to build on.
- Unique donors (296, 29%) remain well below the 40–60% goal and have contracted from 44% of attendance in 2022. Track this alongside the finance dashboard as a long-term giving-health signal.
- Count-based metrics (visitors, baptisms, Connect Breakfast, giving) are year-to-date and should not be compared directly to prior full-year totals. Averages (attendance, serving, circles) are fully comparable.
Attendance trends
Average weekly attendance — 2022 to 2026
Full-year averages for 2022–2025; 2026 is the year-to-date average through Week 26. The growth % for 2026 compares Jan–June 2026 with the same months of 2025 (same-period, apples-to-apples) — not against the full prior year.
In-person (total)
Online
Seasonality — monthly attendance by year
Average weekly attendance in each month, one line per year. The overlay reveals the seasonal shape (spring peak, summer dip, fall recovery) and shows at a glance whether 2026 is tracking above or below recent years.
Underlying trajectory — 12-month rolling average
Each point is the trailing 12-month average weekly attendance. Averaging a full year at every step cancels out seasonality and one-off weeks, leaving the true direction of travel.
In-person composition by group
Average weekly adults, students, kids, and online — each group's contribution to total reach over time, so you can see where attendance is coming from.
Adults
Kids
Students
Online
Evangelism vitals
Outreach & growth
⚠️ Note: Metrics marked † are cumulative counts (not averages). Their 2026 figures reflect year-to-date through Week 26 and should not be compared directly to prior full-year totals.
Discipleship vitals
Engagement & generosity
⚠️ Note: New donors, giving, and Starting Point figures (†) are YTD through Week 26. Per-person weekly giving reflects the YTD average and rises as the year progresses.
Discipleship trends
Adults in circles and regular serving — % of adults/attendance
Tracking progress toward the 70% circles goal and 50% serving goal.
Adults in circles %
Regular serving %
Circles goal (70%)
Serving goal (50%)
Next steps milestones — 2026 YTD
Key next-steps milestones — each vs. its own goal
The stages of a disciple's journey — visitor, Connect Breakfast, Starting Point, a circle. Each card shows the 2026 figure and how it's tracking against its own goal. These milestones are related but measured independently; they don't convert directly one to the next.
Visitors, Connect Breakfast, and Starting Point are YTD counts through Week 26; Adults in circles is a point-in-time average. Each percentage is measured against that metric's own goal (shown on the card), not against another stage.
