Threats and violence against Christian congregations
Agencies reported 287 hate crime incidents against Christian denominations in 2025, and anti-Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox counts all rose. Two 2025 attacks on churches killed children and worshippers during services.
What you need to know
- 287 incidents across Christian bias types were reported to the FBI in 2025: 76 other Christian, 73 Catholic, 59 Eastern Orthodox, 55 Protestant, 14 Latter-day Saints and 10 Jehovah's Witness.
- Anti-Catholic incidents rose from 55 to 73; anti-Eastern Orthodox from 44 to 59; anti-Protestant from 43 to 55.
- On Aug. 27, 2025, a gunman killed two children at a school Mass at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis. The FBI investigated it as a hate crime targeting Catholics.
- On Sept. 28, 2025, an attacker rammed, shot and set fire to a Latter-day Saints chapel in Grand Blanc Township, Mich. The FBI said he was driven by anti-Mormon beliefs.
The official count
| Bias type | Category | 2025 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Other Christian | Religion | 76 | 77 | -1 |
| Anti-Catholic | Religion | 73 | 55 | +18 |
| Anti-Eastern Orthodox | Religion | 59 | 44 | +15 |
| Anti-Protestant | Religion | 55 | 43 | +12 |
| Anti-Church of Jesus Christ (Latter-day Saints) | Religion | 14 | 30 | -16 |
| Anti-Jehovah's Witness | Religion | 10 | 12 | -2 |
Counts are incidents reported by agencies that file with the FBI. A lower number can mean fewer agencies reported, not less hate. See every bias type.
Attacks that define the threat
- June 17, 2015 · Charleston, S.C.
A white supremacist killed nine at Emanuel AME Church. Attacks on Black churches combine racial and religious targeting.
- Aug. 27, 2025 · Minneapolis, Minn.
A gunman fired through church windows during a school Mass at Annunciation Church, killing two children and wounding many more.
- Sept. 28, 2025 · Grand Blanc Township, Mich.
An attacker drove into a Latter-day Saints chapel during services, opened fire and set it ablaze. Four worshippers died.
Terms and signals
Analysts and officers see these in posts, comments and channels. Knowing them lets you read a threat for what it is.
- Mass shooter fandom
- The Annunciation attacker was obsessed with past massacres. Fixation on prior shooters is a stronger signal than any ideology.
- Antichrist and cult framing
- Calling a denomination evil or satanic, as the Grand Blanc attacker reportedly did about Latter-day Saints, paired with a named church.
- Arson talk
- Calls to burn churches. Arson is the most common way churches are attacked.
A term alone is not a threat. Hateful speech is often legal. NCTIC scores escalation: a specific target, a means, a time, and signs of planning or goodbye messages.
From talk to attack
Service times are public. Mass and worship schedules are posted online. A threat that references a schedule is a planning signal.
Mixed motives. Church attackers often mix grievance, nihilism and hatred. NCTIC scores behavior, not ideology.
Report a threat
- Call 911 for anything imminent. Report threats to local police and the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
- CISA offers free security assessments and training for houses of worship.
- Send threats you find to NCTIC at pesach@lattin.us or 505-932-9060. We route each one to the agency with jurisdiction.
Frequently asked
Are hate crimes against Christians increasing?
Several categories rose in 2025. Anti-Catholic incidents went from 55 to 73, anti-Eastern Orthodox from 44 to 59 and anti-Protestant from 43 to 55. Total anti-Christian incidents were 287.
Was the Annunciation Church shooting a hate crime?
The FBI said it was investigating the Aug. 27, 2025, attack as domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.
Who studies this
NCTIC's analysis draws on official data and the work of these organizations. Listing them does not mean they endorse NCTIC.
Free security resources and assessments.
Official national counts.
How we put this together. Hate crime counts are incidents reported by law enforcement agencies to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program for 2025, released Aug. 14, 2026, as tabulated by the Arab American Institute; 2024 comparisons use the FBI's updated Crime Data Explorer figures. These counts cover only agencies that report and only incidents that reach police, so they understate the problem, and year-to-year changes partly reflect which agencies filed. Attack summaries draw on court records and news reporting cited below. Watch terms come from NCTIC analysis and public research such as the ADL Hate Symbols database. NCTIC products are analysis and can be wrong.
NCTIC is an independent nonprofit, non-governmental organization. It is not a government agency, does not act under government authority, and does not make or enforce laws.
We take no position on immigration or other policy questions and do not blame threats on any group. Our anchor is simple: the law says no violence against people, whoever they are.