New research opposes the popular belief that American churches are declining, and suggests that they may actually be growing again, revealing that they are also linked to non-Christians. A church's Barna State of the Church report, created in collaboration with Gloo, reveals that weekly church attendance has been largely higher in the United States since 2017, reaching 28% of US adults in 2024, but preliminary data for early 2025 “suggests a potential increase in weekly church attendance.”
Another positive indication for people of faith is that 65% of American adults disagree with the statement that “the church is no longer relevant in today's world.” 88% of practical Christians disagree with the statement, but so are 46% of non-Christians.
Even 67% of non-practical Christians identify as being Christians, but even 67% of people who rarely attend church and say their faith is not important in their lives oppose the statement.
“The data challenges the story of society rejecting the church or viewing it as irrelevant,” the report says. “Instead, church leaders can approach community engagement with confidence that the role of the church remains culturally relevant.”
Church volunteer work is also falling into rebound, according to the report. Weekly church volunteers fell from 23% in 2022 to 15% in 2024. However, preliminary data for 2025 has increased to around 24%. Perhaps surprising, the younger generations — ZZ and millennials — are at the forefront of this rebound, the report says.
Meanwhile, other trends may be changing as well.
From 2000 to 2015, women attended church more frequently than men, but between 2016 and 2021, attendance between the two genders was roughly the same. However, since 2022, men have been attending churches every week at a higher percentage than women, overturning the pattern for many years. Preliminary 2025 data shows 28% of women taking part each week, compared to 40% of men.
Church attendance has been strong for generations, with young groups showing encouraging levels of participation. As of 2024, Gen Z (29%) and Millennials (30%) participated weekly at rates comparable to elders (33%), followed by Gen X (25%) and Boomers (24%).
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Michael Foot For 20 years, I have covered the intersection of faith and news. His stories appear in the Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Leaf, Toronto Star, Knoxville News Sentinel.
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It was originally published on March 20, 2025.
