About 8 million more Americans attended a Christian church service at least twice in 2025 than two years earlier, according to new research from the American Bible Society.
The data appears in the fifth chapter of the American Bible Society’s 16th annual State of the Bible report, released Wednesday. NORC at the University of Chicago surveyed its AmeriSpeak panel from Jan. 8–27, 2026, collecting online and phone responses from 2,649 adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The percentage of Americans who rarely or never attend Christian services declined by 4 percentage points from 2024, representing roughly 8 million people who began attending at least twice annually.
Gen X and Millennials accounted for much of the increase. Weekly or more frequent attendance among Gen X rose from 49% to 54%, while the rate among Millennials increased from 39% to 42%. However, Gen Z attendance fell from 46% to 42% over the same period, making it the only generation surveyed to post a decline.
The report also highlighted continued concerns surrounding men. More than half of Christian men do not attend church at least monthly, while one in five said they never attend. About 20% of male churchgoers participate remotely, compared with 30% of women.
Among people who attend church at least once every six months, satisfaction with their congregations remains strong. Respondents gave their churches an average spiritual-health rating of 8 out of 10, while 10 out of 10 was the most frequently selected score.
Researchers evaluated church health in five areas, including encouragement toward spiritual growth, opportunities for relationships that support growth, deeper biblical understanding, community service and whether pastors personally model spiritual disciplines.
Women reported greater satisfaction than men across every generation and all five measures. Gen Z men recorded the lowest satisfaction levels of any demographic group.
Similar patterns appeared across denominations, while Mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics reported comparatively weaker attendance despite strong denominational identification.
More than 80% of churchgoers who described themselves as highly satisfied with their congregation also agreed or strongly agreed that church leaders were helping them engage with the Bible.
The findings point to a contrast in American church life: national attendance patterns remain uneven, but people who participate regularly often report meaningful spiritual growth and strong satisfaction with their congregations.
