Why Some Wisconsin Churches Are Quietly Filling Up Again

Rev. Chris Corbin is the rector at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Oshkosh. His congregation has grown from about 40 members in 2021 to about 80 today. Photo courtesy of Chris Corbin

Across the nation, the role of faith and religion in daily life is having a resurgence.

A recent report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research found church attendance across the country increased for the first time in 25 years.

And a recent Gallup survey found 42 percent of young men say religion is “very important to them.” That’s up nearly 15 percent from two years ago.

Researchers note, however, the attendance growth that is happening now is not enough to reverse years of attendance declines in congregations across the country.

WPR spoke to Epsicoal church leaders and a researcher who said they are seeing a renewed connection to faith in their congregations.

She nearly closed her church in northern Wisconsin, but then it started to grow

In April, Mother Amy Heimerl expected to have her last church service at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church in Antigo. Easter would mark the end to Wednesday service inside a church that has been in the community for roughly 135 years.

The congregation had dwindled to six people and that was not enough to keep the service going.

But then, after the vote to close took place, a nearby ministry contacted Heimerl in search of a building to hold service. The members attended service in Antigo and the congregation went from six to 12.

“I joke and I say we’re the fastest growing church in the diaspora,” she said.

And Heimerl leads another church in Merrill that grew as well; it went from 28 members in 2024 to 37 in 2025.

Amy Heimerl sits with children during a service at Ascension Episcopal Church in Merrill. She said the church has grown from 28 members in 2024 to 37 in 2025. Photo courtesy of Amy Heimerl

Amy Heimerl leads two churches in Wisconsin and both have seen a growing membership, reflecting national trends. Photo courtesy of Amy Heimerl

She said many of the new members are young families with children. They’ll even perform four baptisms in June, something the church hasn’t done in five years. She attributes the rise in members to a yearning for hope.

“People are realizing and recognizing that the way we’re doing life right now isn’t necessarily getting the results that we thought we could get,” she said. “There’s much more to life than just what we can see.”

Reverend in Oshkosh surveyed thousands to find out what some churches are doing right

The Rev. Chris Corbin, the rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Oshkosh, has been reading headlines about declining church attendance for years. But he wanted to dig deeper.

For him personally, his church has doubled in size from roughly 40 members in 2021 to 80 members today. He wanted to know what growing churches were doing right.

Starting in 2025, he sent a survey to 5,700 Episcopal congregations across the nation. The survey asks 144 questions of churches that had at least 15 members from 2011 to 2024. He’s gotten 1,150 responses thus far and found that the majority of churches that offer gatherings  like a book study or an adult forum between services are generally doing better.

The Rev. Chris Corbin is the rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Oshkosh. He is conducting a nationwide survey on Episcopal churches to find out what some congregations are doing to increase attendance. Photo courtesy of Chris Corbin

He also said churches that have multiple contact points for new and exploring members tend to keep those members longer. He said if someone comes to your congregation, they should feel welcome and seen.

“It’s investing,” Corbin said. “And beyond just showing up on Sunday.”

He said you have to meet people’s desire to connect and have community in an increasingly isolating world.

“Use a little bit of common sense and think about what are the things that can be spruced up in your community,” he said. “What are the ways that you can get out and begin actually inviting people into your community and take a little bit of responsibility for the growth or decline.”

Theology professor sees a rise in young people’s religiosity

The Rev. Thomas Pietsch is an assistant professor of theology at Concordia University Wisconsin and said the data might reflect what church leaders have been quietly observing.

He said historically people turn to religion in times of crisis or great joy.

“I’ve seen people have a baby for the first time and they receive a gift so great that it forces them outside of themselves and they start thinking spiritually,” Pietsch said. “But also in times of anxiety.”

He said it’s unsurprising that we are seeing an increase in church attendance, or at least a muting of decline as anxiety rates among teens and young adults skyrocket.

Thomas Pietsch is an assistant professor of theology at Concordia University Wisconsin. He has seen an increase in young men at his church on Sundays. Photo courtesy of Thomas Pietsch

In his work at the university and at his church he has seen an increase in young men, something Corbin confirmed in his church as well. But the challenge for young people, he said, is translating their interest into a religious practice.

“It’s one thing to intellectualize the faith or think that it’s good for society or good for me. But it’s another thing to actually begin a life of love towards your neighbor, of confessing your sins and receiving the holy body and blood of Christ for forgiveness and praising God,” he said.

Wisconsin church leaders see rising interest in faith, reflecting national trends was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.