A new study from Lifeway Research indicates that while many Protestant churchgoers in the United States remain willing to identify themselves as Christians publicly, an increasing number say people around them may not even realize they are followers of Christ.
The findings come from the 2025 State of Discipleship Living Unashamed study, which examined how Protestant churchgoers express and communicate their faith in everyday life. Researchers focused on what they describe as “Living Unashamed,” one of eight categories included in Lifeway’s Discipleship Pathway Assessment designed to evaluate spiritual maturity among believers.
The survey gathered responses from 2,130 Protestant churchgoers between March 19 and March 26, 2025. Participants answered six questions related to openness about faith, and researchers calculated an average score of 61 out of 100 for the Living Unashamed category, making it the seventh-lowest score among the eight discipleship indicators measured in the assessment.
Researchers found that a majority of Protestant churchgoers rejected the idea that others are unaware of their Christian identity. About 53% of respondents either somewhat or strongly disagreed with the statement “Many people who know me are not aware I am a Christian.” At the same time, 30% either somewhat or strongly agreed with the statement, while 17% remained neutral.
The study noted that the percentage of churchgoers who believe many people around them do not know they are Christians has more than doubled over the last decade. Lifeway Research data from 2013 showed that only 14% agreed with that sentiment. The number increased to 20% in 2019 before rising to 30% in the latest survey.
Despite those findings, most Protestant churchgoers still did not appear hesitant to acknowledge their faith to non-Christians.
Roughly 65% either strongly or somewhat disagreed with the statement “I am hesitant to let non-Christians know that I am a Christian.” Meanwhile, 17% expressed agreement with the statement, and another 17% said they neither agreed nor disagreed.
A majority of participants, 61%, either somewhat or strongly disagreed with the statement “Many aspects of who I am have nothing to do with God.” By comparison, 21% either somewhat or strongly agreed, while 18% selected a neutral response.
The survey further revealed that spiritual conversations may not occur frequently even among fellow believers. Only 35% of respondents disagreed with the statement “Spiritual matters do not tend to come up as a normal part of my daily conversations with other Christians.” In contrast, 42% either somewhat or strongly agreed that spiritual discussions are not a common part of their interactions with other Christians, while 23% remained neutral.
Another question in the study focused on whether believers think all acquaintances should know about their faith. Less than half of respondents, 47%, disagreed with the statement “I don’t think everyone I am acquainted with needs to know I am a follower of Christ.” Meanwhile, 33% agreed with the statement, and 20% neither agreed nor disagreed.
