A new analysis from Lifeway Research, drawing on data from the State of Theology study, suggests that people who attend church less frequently are less likely to share the theological beliefs commonly held by regular churchgoers, according to Baptist Press.
The findings are based on two surveys: a Sept. 2–7, 2025 online poll of 1,200 U.S. Protestant churchgoers who attend services at least monthly, and a separate State of Theology survey conducted by Ligonier Ministries of 3,001 American adults Jan. 6–15, 2025.
While more than 90 percent of both groups agree that Scripture calls believers to follow Christ together, those who attend less frequently are less likely to strongly affirm that belief, with 54 percent strongly agreeing compared to 72 percent of frequent attendees.
Views on church involvement also differ. Only 46 percent of infrequent attendees say Christians have an obligation to belong to a local church, compared to 61 percent among those who attend more regularly.
Both groups report high levels of satisfaction in their relationship with God, but strong agreement is again lower among infrequent attendees, at 44 percent compared to 51 percent among frequent churchgoers.
Theological differences become more pronounced when examining core Christian beliefs. Those who attend less often are significantly less likely to strongly affirm the accuracy of the biblical accounts of Jesus’ bodily resurrection, with 64 percent strongly agreeing compared to 85 percent of regular attenders.
Infrequent attendees are also more likely to hold alternative theological views, including the belief that Jesus was a great teacher but not God (51 percent versus 28 percent), that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force (64 percent versus 51 percent), and that God accepts the worship of all religions (63 percent versus 47 percent).
On questions of human nature and sin, infrequent churchgoers are more likely than frequent attenders to affirm that “everyone sins a little but most people are good by nature” (70 percent vs. 54 percent) and that “everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God” (80 percent vs. 65 percent).
They are also less likely to agree that even the smallest sin deserves eternal punishment (31 percent vs. 45 percent).
Confidence in Scripture also shows a significant gap. Those who attend once or twice a month are less likely than frequent churchgoers to strongly believe the Bible is the highest authority for what they believe (52 percent vs. 76 percent), is completely accurate in all that it teaches (46 percent vs. 69 percent), or has the authority to tell people what they must do (37 percent vs. 65 percent).
In addition, infrequent attendees are less likely to strongly disagree with the statement that the Bible, like other sacred texts, contains helpful stories but is not literally true (37 percent vs. 64 percent).
Differences extend to moral and cultural issues as well. Those attending less frequently are less likely to strongly agree that God created marriage to be between one man and one woman (68 percent vs. 84 percent), that sex outside of traditional marriage is a sin (42 percent vs. 68 percent), and that abortion is a sin (38 percent vs. 61 percent).
They are also less likely to strongly disagree that people should be able to choose their gender regardless of biological sex (51 percent vs. 71 percent) and that the Bible’s condemnation of homosexual behavior no longer applies today (41 percent vs. 67 percent).
