A majority of American church members believe Christian movies are effective evangelistic tools, and many of those same believers have discussed the biblical themes of movies with non-believers, a new survey finds. vote In a survey of 1,008 American Protestant churchgoers, 81 percent said Christian films are an effective evangelistic tool, and two-thirds said they had watched a Christian film in the past year.
In fact, Christian films are more popular among churchgoers than secular films, with 68% saying they watched a Christian film in the past 12 months compared to 48% who said they watched a secular film.
The study also found that:
— 21% have discussed Christian themes in secular films with non-Christians.
— 30 percent have discussed Christian themes in secular films with Christians.
— 12 percent have invited a non-Christian to see a Christian movie.
–72% intentionally watch movies that convey a Christian message.
The Christian film genre has boomed over the past two decades, producing hits such as: War Room (2015), i can only imagine (2018) and Jesus’ Revolution (2023).
Filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick helped launch the contemporary Christian film movement with their 2006 film. Confronting the GiantsTheir latest film, Forgewill be released this week.
“We live in a visual, video-driven generation, and film can be a wonderful tool to reach people where they are and share biblical truth in the context of inspiring and memorable stories,” said Stephen Kendrick. Lifeway Research“Countless people have been led to Christ through watching Christian films. The Holy Spirit continues to use the arts to reveal the glory of Christ and the gospel.”
According to LifeWay Research, Baptist (84%) and non-denominational (84%) church members are more likely to believe that Christian films are an effective evangelism tool than Lutheran (75%) and Presbyterian/Reformed (68%) church members.
“It’s easy for Christian resource providers to design resources they hope will be useful, but Christian movies are what churchgoers want to watch,” says Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “They don’t believe all Christian movies are appropriate for the non-Christians they know, but they agree that movies can be an effective way to share the gospel.”
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Maskot
Michael Faust He has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years, and his work has appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star and Knoxville News Sentinel.
