Young adults now most steady churchgoers, study says

Researchers found that Millennial and Gen Z Americans attend church the most consistently of any generation, according to a report released Tuesday by Barna Group and Gloo. People born between 1980 and 2012 are included in the generation groups. The report is part of the ongoing State of the Church initiative that aims to measure trends among churchgoers at a national and local level. According to the new report, Gen Z attends church an average of 1.9 weekends per month, while Millennials attend about 1.8 times per month. That is nearly double from the rates reported in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when both groups attended about once a month. The rate is also higher than the total churchgoing population, which attends service about 1.6 times per month, according to the study. Young people are showing a renewed interest in faith, said Barna CEO David Kinnaman, and church leaders must focus on discipleship to help them develop a lasting relationship with God.

What about older generations? Boomers and the previous generation, whom Barna calls Elders, have gradually attended less frequently since the year 2000, when both groups were consistently going to church about twice per month. Now, those generations attend about 1.4 times per month. Because people are not consistently in services every week, churches should prioritize relational ministry and digital engagement, said Gloo President Brad Hill. This is especially true as young people begin to occupy more seats than the older generations, Kinnaman said. Gloo markets itself as a Christian company offering technology tools for faith-based ministries.

Dig deeper: Read my report about another study from Barna that found pastors do not receive enough professional or relational support.