Walnut Campus — Attendance Trends
Adults only · 8:30 AM & 11:00 AM services
Pastoral Leadership Briefing · Data through Jul 19, 2026

Walnut Campus Attendance Trends

Fourteen years of weekly adult attendance across both Sunday services — the pre-COVID baseline, the 2020–21 drop, and where the recovery stands today. Source: Walnut Weekly Attendance Report, loaded July 21, 2026.

Current Combined
~288
Avg adults per Sunday, 2026 YTD
(125 at 8:30 + 163 at 11:00)
Pre-COVID Baseline
~333
2013–2019 combined average
Still ~45 heads below peak
8:30 AM Service
125
Plateaued 125–130 since 2023
vs ~163 pre-COVID
11:00 AM Service
163
Recovered faster — holding 153–168
vs ~186 pre-COVID
2013 – 2026

Yearly Average by Service

Weekly average adults per Sunday, by year. The shaded band marks the COVID years (2020–21). The dotted line is the pre-COVID combined baseline of ~333.
Weekly Avg Adults per Sunday2026 = YTD through Jul 19
11:00 AM 8:30 AM Combined COVID years
January – July 2026

2026 Monthly, Both Services

Monthly average per Sunday. April was the strongest month for both services; July is partial (through 7/19).
2026 YTD — Monthly AvgJul = partial month
8:30 AM 11:00 AM
2024 vs 2025 vs 2026

Three-Year Monthly Comparison

Same-month comparison across the last three years, per service. 2026 is tracking slightly below the 2025 pace at both services.
11:00 AM ServiceMonthly avg per Sunday
2024 2025 2026
8:30 AM ServiceMonthly avg per Sunday
2024 2025 2026
What the Data Says

Key Findings for Leadership

The recovery is real — but uneven

11:00 AM recovered faster and more fully after COVID (floor of 117 in 2020, back to 153–168 since 2023). 8:30 AM was hit harder — it fell to 85 in 2021 and has plateaued at 125–130 for three straight years, well below its pre-COVID ~163.

~45 heads below the pre-COVID peak

Combined attendance now runs ~288 adults per Sunday vs ~333 pre-COVID. Nearly the entire remaining gap sits in the 8:30 service — if there's one lever, it's rebuilding early-service attendance.

2026 is flat-to-slightly-down vs 2025

YTD, 8:30 AM averages 125 vs 130 last year and 11:00 AM 163 vs 168. Not a decline to alarm over, but momentum has stalled — worth watching through the fall, historically the stronger season (Aug & Oct 2024–25 were peak months).

Special services significantly outdraw

Easter 2025 hit 251 at 11 AM, Christmas 2025 380, and Jan 18, 2026 spiked to 272. Big days still pull 55–130% above a normal Sunday — the invite culture works when there's a clear occasion to invite to.

Data Notes

Notable Outliers

DateObservationFlag
Apr 20, 202511:00 AM = 251 — Easter SundayExplained
Aug 17, 2025Training Center Dedication — combined service (8:30 AM merged into 11:00 AM = 351)Explained
Dec 20–21, 2025Split weekend: 8:30 = 263, 11:00 = 380 — Christmas servicesExplained
Jan 18, 202611:00 AM = 272 — unexplained spike; likely a special service, worth confirmingVerify