Survey Shows Church Still Matters In Today’s World
A recent survey has highlighted significant generational differences in how churchgoers socialize, even as most Americans reject the idea that the church is no longer relevant. The Barna Group’s State of the Church report, released in partnership with Gloo on March 13, includes data from interviews conducted with 1,532 U.S. adults between February 4 and 26.
The survey revealed that 57% of churchgoers interact with clergy before, during, or after services, with millennials (61%) being more likely to engage with pastors compared to Gen Xers (57%), baby boomers (55%), and Gen Zers (50%). When it comes to socializing with other congregants, 53% of churchgoers overall engage in conversation, though this varies greatly by generation. While 73% of baby boomers report talking to fellow attendees, this number drops sharply to just 32% for Gen Z. Additionally, millennials (49%) and Gen Xers (56%) engage in conversations with other churchgoers at higher rates than Gen Z.
The survey also showed that 50% of respondents typically talk to a church staff member, with millennials (57%) leading in this interaction, followed by boomers (48%), Gen Z (47%), and Gen X (44%). One-third (33%) of participants engage in conversations with church volunteers, with millennials (42%) again having the highest rate of interaction, followed by Gen Z (32%), baby boomers (26%), and Gen X (25%).
Regarding the relevance of the church, a majority of respondents disagreed with the statement “Church is not relevant in today’s world.” While 41% “definitely disagreed,” 24% “somewhat disagreed,” and only 35% agreed to some extent. Among practicing Christians, 79% strongly disagreed with the claim, while a smaller percentage of non-practicing Christians (39%) held the same view. Non-Christians were more likely to agree that the church is irrelevant, with 32% “somewhat agreeing” and 26% “definitely agreeing.”
The report also included data on church attendance trends. Weekly attendance has been gradually declining since 2009, with 28% of U.S. adults attending church weekly in 2024. However, early data from 2025 shows a potential increase to 32%. Men have increasingly outpaced women in church attendance, with 30% of men attending weekly compared to 27% of women in 2024. This gender gap is expected to widen further in 2025, with 40% of men attending weekly versus just 28% of women.