Most evangelical Christian pastors in the United States will hold church services on Christmas Day, which falls on a Sunday this year for the first time in more than ten years.
More than half of all Americans plan to go to church over Christmas and nearly 9 out of 10 pastors will open their doors to worshippers on both Christmas Day and new year's day. LifeWay Research.
More than seven in ten Protestant pastors will also hold special Christmas Eve services.
Although Christmas Day is one of the busiest days for Orthodox and Catholic churches, for some Protestant churches there has been the past been a tradition of not holding services on Christmas Day itself, especially when it falls on a weekday.
Scott McConnell of LifeWay said: "Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year especially at churches, with many churches having extra Christmas Eve services and special programs. If Christmas falls on Monday through Saturday, churches might be closed on December 25 – but almost never on a Sunday."
Lifeway reports that at some megachurches, thousands turn up to special Christmas events and that can lead some to not hold services on Christmas Day, even when it falls on a Sunday.
However, this year a phone survey of 1,000 Protestant senior pastors found that 89 per cent will hold services on Christmas Day.
Lutherans are most likely to put on Christmas Day service and Baptists are also among those likely to hold them. Pentecostals are least likely.
McConnell said: "The incarnation of Jesus is one of the greatest celebrations of hope that Christian churches observe. It is amazing enough that God himself would become a man. But because Jesus paid the ransom for people's sin, His arrival became the birth of hope for all mankind."
The last time Christmas fell on a Sunday was 2005.
The Hartford Institute for Religion Research reported then that nine megachurches including Willow Creek cancelled their Sunday services.
Catholic and Orthodox churches generally experience a surge in attendance at Christmas, whether the day itself falls on a Sunday or not.
"When Christmas falls on a Sunday it presents a problem for nearly every Protestant congregation – no matter what the size, shape or denominational affiliation," Hartford reported. "After talking with official researchers of several of the country's major denominations, it is absolutely clear that when Christmas and Sunday service coincide – it is the Sunday service that loses. Attendance is always minimal on a Christmas Sunday."
This time, Willow Creek will hold 10am services on both Christmas and New Year's day.
