Most Americans reject claim that church is irrelevant: survey
A new survey has found wide generational differences in socialization patterns of churchgoers as most Americans reject the idea that the church has become irrelevant.
The Barna Group released a State of the Church report in conjunction with Gloo on March 13. The data included in the report is based on interviews conducted with 1,532 adults in the U.S. between Feb. 4-26.
One finding from the survey revealed the level of social interaction churchgoers participate in when attending services. A majority of those surveyed (57%) said they talked to clergy before, during or after services. That number rises to 61% among millennials while dropping to 57% among Gen Xers. Just over one-half (55%) of baby boomers said they talk to a pastor when visiting church, while one-half (50%) of Gen Zers said the same.
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Overall, 53% of churchgoers interact with “other attendees” when going to church. There is a large generational difference in socialization patterns with other congregants. Among boomers, 73% engage in conversation with other congregants. That figure dropped significantly to 32% among Gen Z. Just under one-half (49%) of millennial churchgoers said they usually talk to other attendees at church, along with 56% of Gen X churchgoers.
Exactly one-half of churchgoers (50%) reported they usually talk with a church staff member while at church. A majority (57%) of millennial respondents engage in this practice, while less than half of baby boomers (48%), Gen Zers (47%) and Gen X respondents (44%) said the same.
One-third (33%) of those surveyed reported usually talking to church volunteers when they go to church. Conversations with church volunteers were most frequently reported among millennials (42%), followed by Gen Z (32%), baby boomers (26%) and Gen X (25%).
A majority of all adults do not agree that “Church is not relevant in today’s world,” with 41% responding that they “definitely disagree” with the statement and 24% telling pollsters they “somewhat disagree” with it. The remainder either “somewhat” (22%) or “definitely” (13%) agreed that “Church is not relevant in today’s world.”
Among practicing Christians, an overwhelming majority (79%) “definitely disagree” with the notion that the church has become irrelevant, followed by 9% who “somewhat disagree” with the assertion, 9% who “definitely agree” with it and 4% who “somewhat agree.”
A much smaller percentage of non-practicing Christians (39%) “definitely disagree” that the church has become irrelevant. An additional 28% “somewhat disagree” with the assertion, while 23% “somewhat agree” and 9% “definitely agree.”
On the other hand, a plurality of non-Christians (32%) “somewhat agree” that the church has become irrelevant, while 26% “definitely agree.” Twenty-two percent “definitely agree” that God has become irrelevant, while those who “definitely disagree” constituted 20% of the sample.
The report also included preliminary estimates about church attendance in the U.S. and compared them with additional data based on responses collected from 126,450 adults between 2000 and 2024. “Weekly church attendance has experienced a gradual decline over the past two decades, but recent Barna data tracking shows signs of hope. Attendance peaked at 48 percent of U.S. adults in 2009, declined to 27 percent by 2017 and stood at 28 percent by 2024,” the report stated.
“However, preliminary data from 2025 suggests a potential uptick in weekly church attendance to approximately 32 percent,” the report added. “Since 2022, men have consistently shown higher weekly attendance rates than women, reversing a long-established pattern (30% of men vs. 27% of women attending weekly as of 2024). From 2000 to 2015, women attended church at higher rates than men, then from 2016 to 2021, men and women attended at about the same rate.”
Preliminary estimates from 2025 show the gender gap in weekly church attendance continuing to widen, with 40% of men going to church every week compared to just 28% of women.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
