A new report from the Family Research Council (FRC), a conservative Christian activist group, revealed that in 2024, there were over 400 recorded instances of hostility against churches in the United States, a significant increase from the year before. The organization concluded that armed attacks on churches in the United States more than doubled.
For background, on August 11, 2025, the Family Research Council released a report on “Hostility Against Churches in the United States,” covering instances of vandalism, bomb threats, and full-on attacks on American churches that took place in 2024. The organization was unable to determine the cause of the reported increase in such incidents.
According to the organization, 415 hostile acts against churches were recorded in 2024 across 43 states. Moreover, the report concluded, “Although the motivations for many of these incidents remain unknown, the rise in crimes against churches is taking place in a context in which fewer Americans are attending religious services or identifying with a specific faith.”
In addition, the FRC noted that there was an average of 35 “hostile incidents” at U.S. churches per month in 2024, and that about 22 percent “related to LGBT issues.” The organization also noted that there were 28 instances of gun-related violence at churches in 2024, a sharp increase from 12 in 2023.
Providing an example of one such horrific incident, the FRC described a shooting at St. Augustine Catholic Church in San Francisco, California, in which a young man “fired several shots…while people were inside.” Thankfully, the organization confirmed that no one was injured.
Weighing in on the results of the report on X on August 11, FRC President Tony Perkins wrote that the data “clearly shows religious freedom faces substantial threats here at home.” Perkins added, “The American woke Left has been intentional in spreading its hostility toward the Christian faith throughout every corner of America.”
Continuing, Perkins pointed to “the efforts of the Trump administration” to combat violence against Christians, adding, “But efforts must be taken at every level of government to protect and promote this fundamental human right.” Moreover, FRC’s Travis Weber reflected on the findings as well, saying, “The fact that we have hundreds of [church] incidents—specifically, 415—in the year 2024 is very revealing.”
In addition, speaking to The Daily Signal, Weber said that the FRC’s goal was “to be fair to what the data is showing,” adding, “That includes noting where there are activities directed against a church that is promoting a pro-LGBT viewpoint, which I would say is biblically inaccurate, but the solution is not to go and disrupt that church or attack it or steal its flag, but rather to proclaim the truth about what the Bible says about who we are, created in God’s image, male and female.”
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