Generation Z and Millennial churchgoers in the U.S. have taken the lead in the highest rate of church attendance compared to other adult generations, in what the research initiative behind the survey calls “a historic reversal.”
The rates of Gen Z and Millennials monthly church attendance are the highest rates Barna Group has recorded. The recent online survey, composed of 5,580 surveys, was completed between January and July.
As part of the State of the Church research initiative, which partners with Christian platform Gloo, the study examines the average number of services attended by churched Gen Z individuals. Those born between 1997 and 2007 attended 23 services per year on average while Gen Xers who attend church go to 19 Sunday services a year. Boomers averaged under 17.
“The fact that young people are showing up more frequently than before is not a typical trend,” Daniel Copeland, Barna’s vice president of research, said. “This data represents good news for church leaders and adds to the picture that spiritual renewal is shaping Gen Z and Millennials today.”
Churchgoing decreased in 2020 during the pandemic to a low point, but since 2020, Gen X and Millennials have nearly doubled their attendance. By month, all churched adults attended an average of 1.6 times per month. Gen Z surpassed the average with 1.9 a month, and Millennials attended 1.8 times monthly. Gen X church-goers met the average at 1.6 times, while Boomers attended 1.4 times.
“The significant drop-off among older generations shows that the fabric of congregational life is changing. It’s more frayed and less gray than it was a decade ago,” CEO of Barna Group David Kinnaman said. “The influx of new generations represents a massive opportunity for congregational leaders, but this renewed interest must be stewarded well.”
“Our research clearly shows that churchgoing alone does not in itself create devoted disciples,” he continued. “Even with the increasing participation of younger generations, there is still the challenge of shaping hearts and minds to live out their faith beyond church participation.”
According to Copeland, the data of average monthly attendance of churched individuals sheds light on a problem many pastors face.
“We were able to analyze our data in a fresh way to show what many pastors feel—that even really regular churchgoers do not attend that often,” Copeland said. “Among all churched adults, we found that they attend, on average, 1.6 times per month, or roughly two out of every five weekends. This new analysis of the tracking data helps us better understand the frustrations pastors feel when they are trying to build momentum for their congregations, such as series-based preaching and mobilizing volunteers.”