A new report by the Family Research Council, an influential evangelical advocacy group, reveals a notable spike in attacks on churches across the United States since 2022. The report, which spans data from 2018 to 2024, identifies 1,384 incidents of hostility toward U.S. churches, indicating a significant upward trend in recent years. The report highlights that the number of church attacks surged from 98 in 2021 to 485 in 2023 and 415 in 2024. Additionally, the report notes ongoing challenges in data collection, as many incidents may not have been reported to law enforcement or widely published by media outlets.
The report emphasizes that while the total number of incidents slightly decreased in 2024, the overall pattern of hostility against churches continued, with vandalism remaining the most common form of attack. Some notable differences in 2024 included an increase in gun-related incidents and a decrease in those motivated by pro-abortion sentiments. The report also points out that states with larger populations tended to have more incidents, with California leading the way in 2024, followed by Pennsylvania, Florida, New York, Texas, and Tennessee and Ohio.
Although the motivations behind many of these incidents remain unclear, the report links the rise in crimes against churches to broader societal and political tensions. The report also comes amid the tragic Wednesday morning shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minnesota, which left two children dead and 18 others injured. The shooter, identified as a male who had legally changed his name to female in 2019, was found dead by police after the incident, having committed suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. This incident has added to the growing concerns about the safety of religious institutions and the underlying factors contributing to such attacks.