After several years of measurable decline, giving among evangelical Protestants in the United States appears to have stabilized, according to a new study examining patterns of generosity, political giving and volunteerism.
The report, "The Generosity Landscape: How Evangelicals Give", was released by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research and is based on a survey of 1,008 evangelical Protestants. The findings challenge several widely held assumptions about how evangelicals allocate their financial resources and time.
Researchers found that giving levels in 2025 remained largely consistent with 2024, following a multi-year decline. Between 2020 and 2024, the proportion of evangelicals donating to their church dropped by 18%, while those supporting charities or ministries outside the church declined by 16%. The latest data suggests that downward trend has, at least temporarily, leveled off.
The study also disputes the perception that election cycles significantly divert charitable giving toward political causes. Only 12% of evangelicals reported donating to a political campaign, candidate or cause during the most recent election cycle, a figure unchanged from 2024, a non-election year. Among respondents who did not give to a church or charity, 95% also reported no political giving.
Another common assumption — that individuals often substitute volunteering for financial giving — was also not supported by the data. Just 2% of evangelicals said they volunteer with an organization without contributing financially to a church or charity, indicating that most who volunteer also give.
The report further challenges views about generational patterns in volunteerism. Contrary to expectations that older adults are the most active volunteers, the study found that evangelicals under age 35 are the most likely to volunteer through an organization, while seniors are the least likely.
Church attendance patterns were shown to have a strong relationship with financial giving. Among evangelicals who attend church in person weekly, 84% said they financially support their church. That share drops to 69% among those attending one to three times a month and to 39% among those attending less frequently. Among those who primarily attend services online, 37% reported giving financially to a church.
Ron Sellers, president of Grey Matter Research, cautioned against relying on assumptions when developing ministry strategies.
“A lot of the ‘conventional wisdom’ about giving and generosity may be conventional, but it is not very wise,” Sellers said. “Building plans and strategies around myths that are not true will lead to poor outcomes.”
The report identifies spiritual engagement as the strongest predictor of generosity. Evangelicals who regularly pray, attend worship services and small groups, and read or study the Bible were significantly more likely to give both to their church and to charitable causes.
According to the findings, spiritually engaged evangelicals are 284% more likely to give to their church and 73% more likely to give to charities outside the church. They also give more generously as a proportion of their income, both within and beyond church contexts.
Mark Dreistadt, president and CEO of Infinity Concepts, said it remains unclear whether the stabilization in giving represents a long-term shift or a temporary pause in a broader decline.
“What we do not know is whether this stabilization of giving is the beginning of a new normal, or a brief respite in a continuing decline,” Dreistadt said. “But what has been consistent in every study we have done together is that the single biggest predictor of giving and generosity is how spiritually active and engaged people are.”
He added that patterns of in-person participation and spiritual disciplines appear closely linked to financial commitment.
“In every measurable way, spiritual engagement is the strongest catalyst for financial generosity,” Dreistadt said. “The challenge of financial giving is a discipleship challenge as well.”
