Are Rural and Small-Town Churches Really That Different? Findings from the Church Research Council National Survey of Churches of Christ

While churches, especially in rural communities, often serve as centers of civic life, there is very little recent data on these congregations, particularly those within the Churches of Christ tradition. This study fills the knowledge gap by providing an overview of the demographic, structural, and ministry-related characteristics of Churches of Christ across the United States, with a specific focus on differences between rural and small-town areas and those in urban and suburban settings.

Using data from a 2024 Church Research Council (CRC) survey—the largest ever conducted on Churches of Christ—this report analyzed responses from 2,029 congregations across 47 states. The sample was nearly evenly split between participants from rural and small-town areas and those from urban and suburban communities. The analysis revealed that notable structural and cultural differences emerged between the two groups.