Young people need more discipleship to develop their Christian faith, according to the fifth chapter of the 15th annual State of the Bible report.
Published last Thursday (Aug. 14), the data indicates a strong relationship between church engagement and flourishing, according to the American Bible Society (ABS).
This correlation also uncovers “crucial areas for growth and connection, especially among Gen Z and online attenders,” ABS added.
“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 Plake, Chief Innovation Officer at ABS and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible series.
“Our survey shows that church-engaged Christians have significantly less stress, less anxiety, less loneliness, and more hope. For years now, we’ve seen these same effects with Scripture engagement, but the church provides a living environment where these factors can play out. The pairing of church and the Bible is a powerful force.”
Data in the latest chapter examined factors such as personal interaction, attendance frequency, community size, generation, and denomination impact engagement levels.
The study also looked at how engagement in a church can affect an individual’s sense of well-being and flourishing in their faith.
The church engagement is defined by State of the Bible as “an individual's holistic involvement in the life, mission, and community of a local church.”
In particular, five key indicators are listed: having opportunities to use one's giftings at church; feeling cared for by pastors or other church leaders; having someone in the church who encourages spiritual development; having a best friend at church; and having opportunities to learn and grow in faith over the past year.
The study used findings from a nationally representative survey on behalf of the American Bible Society by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.
Some 2,656 online interviews were conducted with American adults in all 50 states of the U.S. and the District of Columbia during the period of Jan. 2-21, 2025.
Looking at church engagement, questions asked of respondents aimed at those identifying as Christians and attending a church in the past six months — representing 35 percent of the total survey group.
Key findings for “Chapter 5: Church Engagement” for the State of the Bible, as quoted, were as follows:
Gen Z has the lowest Church Engagement score, while Millennials outscore Gen X on several Church Engagement criteria (p97). These scores indicate an opportunity for churches to help young people recognize and engage their giftings and to nurture their faith.
Only 1 in 5 of Gen Z respondents (ages 18–28) strongly agree they can use their gifts, compared to 1 in 3 across all other generations.
Only 1 in 4 young adults strongly agree that someone in their church encourages their spiritual development, compared to 2 in 5 of every other generation.
Only 1 in 3 Gen Z adults strongly agree they have had opportunities to grow in their faith in the past year, compared to almost half of all other generations.
Most individuals strongly engaged in church (62%) also experienced highest levels of human flourishing with only 8% reporting low flourishing.
“This strong correlation between Church Engagement and flourishing holds true across all levels of engagement: the less engaged someone is with their church, the less likely they are to experience high flourishing levels,” noted the press release.
Although 64% of Americans identify with Christianity, 45% of those do not attend church, according to the report, adding that 55% have attended within the last six months. Within this group of church attenders, 34% attend weekly, 10% monthly, and 11% about twice per year.
Most churchgoers (72%) usually attend church services personally with 12% online, and 16% both in-person and online.
“Those who attend church in person are much more likely to strongly agree that they are learning and growing in their faith, that their pastor cares about them, that someone in their church is encouraging their spiritual development, and that they have opportunities to use their giftings,” ABS noted.
Most highly engaged churchgoers (84%) strongly agree that the message of the Bible has transformed their lives. Another 90% of highly engaged churchgoers say that church leaders make the Bible relevant to their lives and encourage them to read the Bible.
America Bible Society plans to release four additional chapters of the State of the Bible report between now to December 2025. These chapters will explore Generation Z and their identity development, trust in institutions and people, and behaviors toward friends and neighbors.
To download the fifth chapter of State of the Bible 2025, visit: StateoftheBible.org.
