2026 at a glance
Key takeaways
What this data is telling us
- Weekend attendance is steady — 1,016 average through the reporting window, up 1% over 2025. Growth is positive but under the 5% growth goal.
- Adults in circles continues to climb — 602 adults (69%) are in a circle, the strongest on record. The 70% goal is within reach.
- The key watch areas are attendance growth (1%), regular serving (49%), and unique donors (33% in 2025, last closed year) — 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 75 in 2026 (13% → 9% 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. 159 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 reads 320 (31%), but that is a year-to-date count against a full-year attendance average — it understates participation and is not comparable to the closed years or to the goal band. On closed years the trend is the real signal: 44% of attendance in 2022 down to 33% in 2025, as attendance grew while the donor count did not. The goal was recalibrated from 40–60% to 35–45% in September 2026: peer research puts consistent givers near 20–27% of attenders, so 35–45% keeps MCC well above peer median while staying reachable. Track alongside the finance dashboard as a long-term giving-health signal.
- Count-based metrics (visitors, baptisms, Connect Breakfast, giving, unique donors, new donors) are year-to-date and should not be compared directly to prior full-year totals. Unique donors is the one most easily misread: a part-year distinct-donor count measured against a full-year attendance average understates participation, so the current year's percentage is not comparable to the closed years and should not be judged against the goal band. 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 35. The growth % for 2026 compares Jan–August 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 35 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 35. 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 35; 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.
