Generation Z Protestant churchgoers are outpacing other cohorts in church attendance frequency and in sharing Jesus — but there are key areas where this younger generation is lagging.
“While the median churchgoer in each generation attends four worship services each month, the average Gen Z churchgoer attends a worship service at their church 6.2 times a month, compared to 4.8 times for millennials, 5.1 for Gen X and 4.5 for baby boomers and older,” a report from Lifeway Research reads. “This implies that while the typical Gen Z churchgoer attends at a similar frequency to other generations, there is a portion of young adults who attend at much higher rates.”
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It’s not just general church services, either, as they are also more likely than other generations to attend small groups more routinely, going an average of five times per month, compared to lower levels for Millennials (3.7), Gen X (2.7) and Baby Boomers and those older (2.5).
Beyond that, they also serve more: 36% report that they “have regular responsibilities at their church.”
Some might wonder what this looks like in terms of practical application beyond church and those numbers are also fascinating. Gen Z is the most likely or among the most likely to also engage in a plethora of other spirit-led activities. Starting with the Bible itself, 22% of Gen Z noted that they study the Bible daily — a higher percentage than for other generations (18% for Millennials, 14% for Gen X, and 15% for Boomers and those older).
“In the past six months, they are also the most likely or among the most likely to have served someone who they knew could not repay them (6.5 times), memorized a Bible verse (6.3), fed the hungry (6.0), visited the sick or home-bound (4.9), fasted (4.8) and invited an unchurched person to church (4.2 times),” Lifeway Research reported.
Sharing Jesus is also important to Gen Z, which is the most likely generation to share their faith story with others.
With all of this in mind, Gen Z, on the flip side, tends to struggle most with doubt about faith and the theological constructs at the core of Christianity. They are more likely to doubt God’s involvement when inexplicable things happen (47%), and sometimes doubt God loves and will provide for them (46%)
And this all has a practical impact on younger American churchgoers aged 28 and younger.
“With their higher likelihood of doubting, Gen Z churchgoers are also by far the most likely to say they hesitate to share with Christian friends about their own doubts and spiritual struggles (53%),” Lifeway Research noted.
Beyond that, they also struggle when it comes to seeing the God of the Bible as the exclusive Lord above all else, with 49% of young adult churchgoers claiming God in the Bible isn’t different from the gods presented in other faiths.
These statistics emerge amid some debate about how intense Gen Z’s faith devotion truly is. CBN News will continue to cover these stories as they unfold.
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