Generation Z comes up short in church engagement
Generation Z members are much less engaged with their churches than older generations, the latest installment of the State of the Bible USA 2025 report from the American Bible Society.
The survey examined levels of church engagement, which it defined as “the level of an individual’s involvement in the life, mission and community of a local church” that “includes learning and growing in one’s faith, meaningful relationships with people in the church and active use of one’s gifts in the work of the church.”
The report measured church engagement based on respondents’ answers to five questions. Church engagement responses were broken down into four generational subgroups: Gen Z, which consists of the youngest group of American adults born in 1997 or later, millennials born between 1982 and 1996, Generation X born between 1965 and 1981, and baby boomers and elders born in 1964 or earlier.
Only 35 percent of Gen Z adults agreed or strongly agreed that “In the past year, I have had opportunities to learn and grow in my faith.” By contrast, 46 percent of both millennials, baby boomers and elders agreed or strongly agreed that they had opportunities to grow in their faith, along with 48 percent of Gen X respondents.
Only 19 percent of Gen Z adults reported having a best friend at church, compared to 25 percent of Gen Xers, 26 percent of millennials and 31 percent of baby boomers and elders. Just 27 percent of Gen Z adults agreed or strongly agreed that “there is someone in my church who encourages my spiritual development.” Forty-three percent of respondents from all three older generations held the same view.
When asked if they agreed or strongly agreed that “my pastor or other church leaders, seem to care about me as a person,” 42 percent of Gen Z adults answered in the affirmative compared to 44 percent of Gen Xers, 48 percent of millennials and 49 percent of the oldest subset of adults. On the question of whether churchgoers felt they had the opportunity to use their “giftings,” 19 percent of Gen Z adults agreed or strongly agreed, as did 36 percent of millennials, 32 percent of Gen Xers and 35 percent of boomers and elders.
“People’s lives improve when they engage with their church — not just attending, but using their gifts, developing relationships and taking advantage of opportunities to grow spiritually,” said John Farquhar Plake, the report’s editor in chief.
–Alan Goforth
