New State of the Church research reveals surprising changes in church attendance and insights on engagement by demographic
BOULDER, Colo. — Gloo and Barna Group announced new State of the Church research findings that explore the complexities of the role of the Church and its effectiveness within various areas including community engagement, discipleship and cultural relevance.
The research focused on five key church engagement trends including:
- Church Relevance: An exploration of Christian and non-Christian views on the relevance of church in society today.
- Attendance Trends: Understanding changes in trends from the overall decline in attendance, with surprising new trends across generational and gender segments.
- Volunteerism: Research reveals dramatic shifts in demographic patterns, as well as views and values related to volunteering at church.
- Relational Engagement: Interpersonal connections at church play a crucial role in retention and engagement, and the research explores the types of connections — and opportunities — the Church has to deepen discipleship.
- What Makes Church Meaningful: Christians reveal surprising sentiments on what makes the church experience meaningful, from the sermon and worship to prayer and relationships.
“As church leaders continue to navigate the rapidly evolving intersection of culture and church, it’s essential to understand church engagement trends,” said Brad Hill, chief solutions officer at Gloo. “These latest findings reinforce the critical role that churches play in helping people and communities flourish. We’re seeing some hopeful insights that can help leaders better meet people where they are and provide church as a place for deep connection with God and one another. The findings in this report provide some exciting new opportunities for deepening engagement in enduring ways.”
The ongoing State of the Church virtual event series is another way to see the latest church health trends. Church health tools developed by Gloo and Barna are freely available to help leaders better know the sentiments and health of their communities.
Key highlights:
- Most U.S. adults (65%) believe church remains relevant in today’s world.
- Early 2025 data shows church attendance in the U.S. has increased to an estimated 32%, marking an uptick after declining from 48% in 2009 to 28% in 2024.
- This preliminary 2025 data also shows weekly church volunteering rising to an estimated 24% (versus 15% in 2024), with Gen Z (21%) and Millennials (19%) significantly outpacing Boomers (9%), Gen X (11%) and Elders (12%).
- Today’s churchgoers actively seek connection at church, with at least half engaging with a pastor (57%), other attendees (53%) or church staff (50%) before, during or after service.
- U.S. adult Christians overwhelmingly prioritize spiritual encounters at church, with 73% saying “connecting to God” is very important to a meaningful church experience, followed by the “presence of the Holy Spirit” (68%) and “growing closer to Jesus” (67%).
“There are several exciting new insights from this month’s report, most notably around attendance,” said David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group. “While overall attendance has fluctuated, early 2025 data suggests signs of renewal, particularly among younger generations. These insights, coupled with trends we’re seeing on church relevancy, relationships and volunteerism offer hope for church leaders seeking revitalization and valuable opportunities to foster meaningful engagement in congregations.”
Additional research monthly trends are scheduled to be released by Barna and Gloo in April. The detailed findings of this month’s release are available on Barna Access Plus, Barna’s all-in-one research library. Leaders can learn more about the initiative at stateofthechurch.com.
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Gloo is a technology platform connecting the faith ecosystem. Gloo connects ministry leaders to values-based AI, resources, insights and funding so their people and communities flourish and their organizations thrive. Gloo enables trusted exchange between organizations and people, so they can collaborate with greater confidence. Gloo serves over 100,000 faith and ministry leaders. Gloo is based in Boulder, Colorado.
Barna Group is a leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture. Since 1984, Barna has conducted more than two million interviews over the course of thousands of studies and has become a go-to source for insights about religion, leadership, vocation and generations. Barna is an independent, privately-held, nonpartisan organization based in Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas.
Contact:
Eliza Krodel
Gloo
6157206567
[email protected]
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of RNS or Religion News Foundation.
