PHILADELPHIA (BP) – Only a quarter of Americans attend church weekly, the same percentage as a year ago, the American Bible Society (ABS) said Aug. 13 in its latest release.
But the number of those who attend at least once every six months has grown by 8 million, representing a 4 percent drop in those who very rarely or never attend, the ABS said in releasing the fifth chapter of the State of the Bible. That increase was driven by a 2-point drop in those who never attend church – down to 37 percent from 39 percent – and a 2-point decline in those who attend less than once a year, down to 13 percent from 15 percent.
Evangelicals registered the best attendance, with 66 percent attending at least once monthly, researchers said. Half of evangelicals are classified as practicing Christians, meaning they attend church at least monthly and strongly agree that their religious faith is “very important” to them. That compares to a third of Historical Black Protestants and 14 percent of Mainland Protestants.
Just over half of all Christians, 51 percent, attend church less than monthly, with 49 percent attending at least once or more each month. Generationally, 54 percent of Gen X Christians attend at least monthly; while women outpace men with 51 percent of women registering monthly attendance, compared to 46 percent of men.
Attendance is seen as a key parameter of church health, also gauged by attendees’ spiritual vitality and their perceived impact of church leadership on their spiritual development.
While researchers found a majority of churchgoers are satisfied with the way their church equips and ministers to them, researchers define churchgoers as those who attend at least once every six months, a minimum of just twice annually.
ABS voiced encouragement with its findings.
“It’s encouraging to see that a majority of churchgoers in America are satisfied with how their church is serving and equipping them for their daily walks of faith,” said John Plake, ABS chief innovation officer and State of the Bible chief editor. “We also see a consistent pattern that healthy churches keep the Bible at their core.”
Younger men, those in Gen Z spanning to age 29, registered lower church satisfaction scores that women in the same age group. Gen Z women gave their church a 7.9 out of 10 when assessing whether the church helps them understand the Bible more deeply, compared to Gen Z men who gave the church a 6.9. The most satisfied men were found in Gen X – those 46 – 61 years old – who scored the church 7.8 on helping them understand Scripture.
“The data also reveals opportunities for church leaders to reach out to specific people – especially young men,” Plake said, “and guide them toward a richer, deeper relationship with God and their church through regular engagement with Scripture.”
In addition to whether the church helps attendees understand Scripture, church health was judged by four additional questions focused on community service, whether the church helps one grow spiritually in general, opportunities for spiritual growth through relationships, and whether the pastor models and reinforces spiritual growth.
“Among those who are very satisfied with their churches, 89 percent agree or strongly agree that church leaders encourage them to read the Bible,” researchers said in releasing the data. “When people open the Bible with confidence during the week because of the guidance, depth, and application they received on a Sunday, they keep coming back – to both the Bible and the church.”
Researchers describe Bible engagement as “one of the most effective catalysts” for spiritual growth.
Among other key findings:
- Attendance has increased among Gen X and Millennials since 2024, with Gen X attendance increasing from 49 percent to 54 percent, and Millennial attendance rising to 46 percent from 42 percent. Most young adults don’t make a habit of attending church.
- Christian men are less likely to attend church than women. More than half of men don’t attend at least monthly, and 20 percent never attend. But men outpace women in in-person attendance, with 20 percent of men worshiping remotely, compared to nearly a third of women, 30 percent.
The findings are based on ABS research conducted Jan. 8-27 in collaboration with NORC at the University of Chicago, which generated 2,649 responses from a representative sample of U.S. adults. Respondents were chosen based on NORC’s AmeriSpeak Panel.
Forgiveness, the supernatural, and love and generosity will be surveyed in future releases through November.
Download the fifth chapter and learn of related resources, including a church health self-assessment, here.
