WINNING: Americans Reject Claim Church Is ‘Irrelevant’

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A survey published in March by the Barna Group found that most Americans reject the claim that the church has become irrelevant.

The survey found that 41% of adults “definitely” do not agree with the statement “Church is not relevant in today’s world.” Among practicing Christians, 79% “definitely disagree” with the statement, with 9% “somewhat disagree[ing],” suggesting the Bible is still a significant part of the lived American experience, correlating with an uptick in all generations finding faith.

“Weekly church attendance has experienced a gradual decline over the past two decades, but recent Barna data tracking shows signs of hope. Attendance peaked at 48 percent of U.S. adults in 2009, declined to 27 percent by 2017 and stood at 28 percent by 2024,” the report noted.

“However, preliminary data from 2025 suggests a potential uptick in weekly church attendance to approximately 32 percent,” it continued. “Since 2022, men have consistently shown higher weekly attendance rates than women, reversing a long-established pattern (30% of men vs. 27% of women attending weekly as of 2024). From 2000 to 2015, women attended church at higher rates than men, then from 2016 to 2021, men and women attended at about the same rate.”

Big Demographic Differences

The preliminary estimates taken in 2025 show a significant gender gap in church attendance, with 40% of men attending church every week compared to just 28% of women. (GRAVES: America, Do Not Ignore Wisconsin If You Care About Free And Fair Elections In Your State)

Social interactions amongst churchgoers varied a lot by generation. While 57% of those surveyed said they spoke to clergy before, during or after services, that number increased to 61% for millennials, the highest amongst all generations. Gen Xers said they talked to clergy at a rate of 57%, baby boomers at 55%, and Gen Z at 50%.

The results of the study certainly correlate with the Great American Revival movement occurring across the U.S. An op-ed published by Breakpoint in March detailed how the movement is taking particular hold on secular campuses.

“With so much bad news coming from college campuses in recent years, reports of students open to the Gospel and interested in spiritual conversations is encouraging,” wrote Glenn Sunshine and John Stonestreet. “Whether this is merely a short-lived fad on a few campuses or part of a real kairos moment revival remains to be seen. But we rejoice in what is happening in the hearts of these students, for the testimonies of Christians willing to go public about their faith, for God’s faithfulness to those who call upon Him, and for His Word that never returns void and always accomplishes what He intends.”

More Results

Thirty-nine percent of non-practicing Christians said they “definitely disagree” with the statement, but 23% “somewhat agreed.” Non-Christians (32%) said they felt the church was becoming irrelevant, with 25% saying they “definitely agree” with the statement. (RELATED: Church Participation Grows Post COVID-19 Pandemic, Study Shows)

The data included in the report is based on interviews conducted with 1,532 adults in the U.S. between Feb. 4-26.

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