Awakening Our Senses: Mosque Growth in America and the Urgent Call for Church Renewal

Before we lament the growth of Islam, we must rekindle the light of Christ!

As pastors, teachers, preachers, evangelists, and missionaries, we dedicate ourselves to serving our communities and advancing the Gospel. Yet, in the midst of sermon preparation and outreach, it’s vital to pause and consider the broader landscape of faith in America. As we gather in our sanctuaries or busy mission outposts, it’s easy to focus on the immediate: the souls in our pews, the sermons yet to preach, the communities we serve. Yet, the Holy Spirit often whispers a broader call to awareness, urging us to lift our eyes and see the full horizon. Today, let’s do just that. With a spirit of quiet urgency—not alarm, but faithful stewardship—let’s consider the parallel paths of mosque establishments and church vitality in America since 2000. This isn’t about comparison for its own sake, but about nourishment for our souls and strategies for our ministries as we navigate 2025 and beyond.

Drawing from the latest available data—updated through 2024 and projected thoughtfully into this year— we’ll explore these trends together. My hope is that this reflection stirs us toward prayerful action, reminding us that the Great Commission thrives not in denial, but in discerning response. As Proverbs 29:18 reminds us, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Let’s envision renewal together. Let's rally people to the cause at hand.

Consider this startling chart that represents what has happened and what is predicted to happen if current trends continue. The Pew Research Center describes this chart as follows: "The first scenario differs from the others in that it assumes religious switching will continue at recent rates across all age groups. That is, in each new generation, 31% of people who were raised Christian become religiously unaffiliated between the ages of 15 and 29, while 21% of those who grew up with no religion become Christian. Moreover, 7% of people who were raised Christian disaffiliate between the ages of 30 and 65 (1)."

Projecting U.S. Religious Groups Population Shares by 2070 | Pew Research Center

Mosque Growth in America - What the Numbers Reveal - The Steady Ascent of Mosques -

The rise of mosque growth in America reveals not merely demographic change but a spiritual shift that calls the Church to awaken. Imagine a young family moving into a suburban neighborhood, looking for a sense of belonging. For many American Muslims, that sense of community has increasingly centered around the mosque—often evolving from small storefront gatherings into large, well-established institutions of Islamic teaching and activity. Since 2000, this expansion has been significant, reflecting not only community commitment but also the growing influence of Islam within American society.

The U.S. Mosque Survey, a decennial benchmark from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, paints a clear trajectory: 1,209 mosques in 2000, rising to 2,106 by 2010—a 74% leap—and reaching 2,769 by 2020 (2).  Fast-forward to 2025, and estimates hold steady at around 2,770 to 2,800, reflecting modest but sustained growth amid a Muslim population now nearing 4 million (3).  This isn’t explosive change, but it’s purposeful: 66% of these mosques have relocated or been established since 2000, often to serve growing suburban families. Closures? Rare, save for a handful in rural African American-led congregations facing attendance dips.

Beneath the public language lies a deeper goal — not simply to join the culture, but to shape it. The vision is not really assimilation, but transformation through unwavering unity of purpose. As a result, 76% of mosques now offer weekend schools for children, and 83% provide Islamic study classes, reflecting steady growth in educational programs that engage youth and families (4).  These communities invest in bricks and mortar as extensions of their faith—fostering education for approximately 103,000 students across an estimated 498 mosque-affiliated full-time Islamic schools (calculated as 18% of the 2,769 total mosques) and emphasizing civic engagement.

•  Key Milestones:

•  2000–2010: +897 mosques (suburban shift accelerates).

•  2010–2020: +663 mosques (South sees 65% regional growth in states like Michigan).

•  2020–2025: +30–50 estimated, with focus on family-oriented programs.

Demographic projections suggest this upward trend is likely to continue. According to Pew Research, the share of Muslims in the U.S. population is expected to grow to around 1.7 % by 2030 and may reach about 2.1 % by 2050, driven largely by immigration and higher birth rates (5).  It’s a reminder that faith, when woven into daily life, builds lasting foundations.

As we observe this, let’s not view it through fear, but as a prompt: What might our own congregations learn from such steadfast community focus? Many churches have lost the idea of community engagement.

The American Mosque 2020 Growing and Evolving - Issuu

The Challenging Horizon for Churches: A Gentle but Firm Wake-Up

Now, turn your gaze with me to our own house. We’ve all felt it—and most of us have seen it...the empty auditoriums, the echoing pews on Sunday mornings, the faithful few carrying heavier loads, the whispers of “We’ll be fine” that sometimes mask deeper currents. For Protestant churches, and for our independent Baptist fellowships, the data since 2000 tells a story of contraction, not catastrophe, but one that demands our prayerful attention.

Consider the numbers: The U.S. Religion Census tallied 356,739 congregations in 2020, a slim increase from 2010—but this masks Christian-specific losses, as non-Christian growth (like mosques) offsets declines (6).  By 2025, experts project a seismic shift: up to 15,000 church closures this year alone, outpacing the 3,000–4,000 new starts (7). That’s a net loss echoing (way more loudly) the 4,500 Protestant closures in 2019, with rural and small congregations hit hardest.

For us in Baptist circles—independent and Southern alike—the picture sharpens. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), our largest Protestant kin, reported 46,876 churches in 2024, down 30 from the prior year, with membership at a 50-year low of 12.7 million—a 259,090 drop (8).  In the United States church setting, there is declining attendance (from 137 per service in 2000 to 65 in 2020) and financial strains, with 30% of U.S. churches teetering on the brink (9).    Independent Baptists face similar headwinds.

Yet, here’s two nourishing truths:

• Baptisms in the SBC rose in 2024, topping pre-pandemic levels, signaling sparks of revival.   And,

• Pew notes Christianity’s decline may be stabilizing at 63% of adults (10).  This isn’t the end, friends—it’s an invitation to renew.

  
  

Does this stir something in you? It does me. Like Nehemiah surveying Jerusalem’s broken walls, let’s assess with hope, not despair.

Where Have Churches Disappeared - By Ryan Burge (11)

Seeing the Full Picture: A Side-by-Side Reflection

To ground our thoughts, here’s a snapshot—mosques ascending while churches contract, yet both underscoring faith’s enduring pull.

Aspect	Mosques (2000-2025)	Churches (2000-2025, Protestant Focus)
Starting Point	1209 (2)	~350,000+ (6)
Current Estimate	~2800 (+132%) (3)	~340,000 (net -3% to 5%) (7)
Net Change	+1591 (3)	-15,000+ (2025 Projection Alone) (7)
Annual Trend	+80 (3)	-1,500-2,000 (Baptist Inclusive) (8)
Core Driver	Community Integration (2)	Attendance dips, aging demographics (10)

This divergence isn’t abstract—it’s our mission field. As Christian identification holds at 63%, the unaffiliated rise, but so do opportunities for Gospel witness.

Visualizing the Shift

To engage visually, consider this chart showing the net change in mosques and churches. It’s a stark reminder of the work ahead.

This chart, based on trusted data (3, 7), calls us to action.

Toward Renewal: What If This Is Our Nehemiah Moment?

These trends aren’t just numbers—they’re a roadmap for our ministries. This is no time for retreat or for us to stick our heads in the sand. It is also not a time to be overly optimistic and superficial, or in a state of denial about what is happening. Church challenges, while real, are not the end but a call to renew our commitment to the Gospel. For independent Baptists, this is a moment to embrace strategic action: a time to preach with fresh fire, disciple with deeper intentionality, and partner with each other for mutual encouragement. We simply must win souls, plant and revitalize churches with a passion that we have not seen in a while.

What might this look like in your ministry this week?

• Pray Boldly: Dedicate a service to intercession for struggling congregations—yours included.

• Assess Gracefully: Survey the needs of your community and your flock; what unmet needs do you see? Develop a plan to meet those needs.

• Act Strategically (with Vision): Launch a revitalization study group in your church to assess the true health of your church, then diagnose, and recover. Can your church plant another church or help a weak one get stronger? DO IT!

• We need more young men to answer the call to preach and then they must prepare to be useful and fruitful.

• Share this article with a brother pastor; let’s stir hearts toward the harvest.

• All believers must come back to church and do their part to make their homes and churches strong and vibrant!

• There must be a concentrated effort on the part of churches, Bible colleges, seminaries, and mission organizations in America to reclaim lost ground. We must specifically target the mission fields within our own borders. This needs to be a national and comprehensive effort.

At Hometown Hope Ministries, we’re committed to this journey—equipping you with tools for sustainable growth. Sign up today to get targeted insights delivered directly to your inbox when they become available.

May the Lord grant us eyes to see, hearts to respond, and hands to build. Until next time, labor on in His grace.

Brent Madaris

Doctor of Ministry, Hometown Hope Ministries

Be sure to read our companion article to this one here

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1. Pew Research Center, *Projecting U.S. Religious Groups’ Population Shares by 2070* (Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2022), https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2022/09/13/projecting-u-s-religious-groups-population-shares-by-2070/.

2. Ihsan Bagby, The American Mosque 2020: Report 1 (Hartford, CT: Hartford Institute for Religion Research, 2020), 10.

3. Bagby, American Mosque 2020, 14; projections based on Pew Research Center, The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010–2050 (Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2015), 5, 13.

4. THE AMERICAN MOSQUE 2020: GROWING AND EVOLVING

   Report 2 of the US Mosque Survey 2020:Perspectives and Activities, accessed October 10, 2025, https://ispu.org/report-2-mosque-survey-2020/

5. Pew Research Center, Future of World Religions, 45.

6. Scott Thumma, “2020 Faith Communities Today Survey,” Hartford Institute for Religion Research, accessed October 10, 2025, http://www.hartfordinstitute.org/research/2020survey.html.

7. Thom S. Rainer projects that approximately 15,000 U.S. churches will close in 2025, a record high driven by financial pressures, declining attendance, and a shift toward part-time or co-vocational pastors, with another 15,000 congregations expected to eliminate full-time pastoral positions. This estimate, based on internal research from Church Answers, reflects a broader trend of closures outpacing new church plants, exacerbated by post-pandemic economic challenges. See also coverage in Axios for a secular perspective on this shift.

   - Thom S. Rainer, “Five Reasons Why 2025 Will Be a Pivotal Year for Many Churches,” Church Answers, December 30, 2024, https://churchanswers.com/blog/five-reasons-why-2025-will-be-a-pivotal-year-for-many-churches/. See also Axios, “America’s Religious Shift: Church Closures and Changing Faith Trends,” October 2025, https://www.axios.com/2025/10/religious-shift-church-closures.

8. Southern Baptist Convention, 2024 Annual Report (Nashville, TN: SBC Executive Committee, 2024), 22.

9. Mark Chaves, American Religion: Contemporary Trends, 2nd ed. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2017), 89.

10. Pew Research Center, U.S. Religious Landscape Survey 2024 (Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, 2024), 10. Accessed, October 10, 2025 - https://www.pewresearch.org/collections/religious-landscape-study/

11. Ryan P. Burge, “Change in Number of Congregations, 2010 to 2020, by Religious Tradition,” visualization based on U.S. Religion Census data (ASARB, 2020), posted May 11, 2023, on X (formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/ryanburge.