Curated by It’s That Part™ — Originally published by Faith and Proverbs on .
“When will American Christianity finally hit rock bottom?”
Many church leaders have had that question on their minds as they’ve watched affiliation trends for the past decade. Now, according to Pew Research Center’s recently released Religious Landscape Study, there may be reason for cautious hope. After years of seemingly relentless decline, Christianity’s downward spiral appears to be slowing. The comprehensive 2023–24 study, which surveyed more than 36,000 American adults, reveals a religious landscape that has begun to stabilize—albeit at levels far below historical norms.
While media narratives often frame American religion as being in terminal decline, the data tells a more nuanced story. For church leaders, these findings point toward both significant challenges and also genuine reasons for hope, providing us with direction rather than just confirming our fears.
Signs of Stabilization
The most striking revelation from Pew’s research is that Christianity’s long-term decline appears to have plateaued in recent years. The Christian share of U.S. adults dropped from approximately 78 percent of the population in 2007 to 62 percent in 2023. This percentage has remained relatively steady since 2019.
Similarly, the rise of the religiously unaffiliated—the “nones”—seems to have leveled off at around 29 percent of Americans. After decades of rapid growth, this plateau suggests that secularization, while still significant, isn’t accelerating at the pace many predicted.
Within this landscape, evangelicals remain the largest religious subgroup in America at 23 percent of the population. This is down slightly from 26 percent in 2007 but still constitutes nearly a quarter of all Americans. It also represents a far smaller decline than that experienced by mainline Protestant denominations, which have fallen from 18 percent to 11 percent during the same period.
This apparent stabilization offers churches a much-needed reprieve. The hemorrhaging of Christian affiliation has slowed, providing time to regroup and refocus. It suggests the United States may not be destined for relentless secularization, as a substantial portion of Americans continues to hold on to the Christian identity.
The United States may not be destined for relentless secularization, as a substantial portion of Americans continues to hold on to the Christian identity.
However, researchers caution that this stability might be temporary. Lasting stabilization would require either young adults becoming more religious as they age or future generations being more faith-oriented than their parents. If current generational patterns persist unchanged, the Christian share could resume shrinking as older believers pass away. We should therefore view this pause not as a reason for complacency but as a God-given opportunity for renewed mission—a critical window that may not remain open for long.
Generational Faith Gap
Perhaps the most sobering aspect of the Pew study is the stark generational divide in religious commitment. Only about 46 percent of adults ages 18 to 24 identify as Christian, compared to 80 percent of those 74 and older. Prayer practices follow a similar pattern, with just 27 percent of young adults praying daily versus 58 percent of seniors.
Church attendance reveals the same gap: Only 25 percent of young adults attend religious services monthly, compared to roughly 49 percent of seniors. This generational divide means each younger cohort is generally less churched and less devout than the one before.
Two factors appear to contribute to this gap. First, younger Americans today are far less likely to have been raised in religious households, so many begin life with no faith tradition. Second, even among those raised as Christian, fewer are maintaining that faith into adulthood compared to previous generations.
This leads to what demographers call “generational replacement,” where highly religious older generations are gradually replaced by less religious younger cohorts. With no recent birth cohort showing increased religiosity as it ages, churches cannot simply wait for young people to return to church once they mature or have families.
Yet amid these challenges, there’s a glimmer of hope: The youngest adults (late Gen Z, ages 18 to 24) appear to be about as religious as those just a few years older. This suggests the downward curve might be flattening among the young, which could indicate we’ve hit a floor in youth disaffiliation. If true, this could provide fertile ground for renewed ministry efforts to the next generation.
Denominational Shifts Reshaping Evangelicalism
Within American evangelicalism, significant structural changes are underway. The Southern Baptist Convention—long the largest evangelical denomination in the United States—has seen its share of the population shrink from 6.7 percent in 2007 to just 4.4 percent today. Traditional Baptist churches overall now account for about 12 percent of U.S. adults, down from 17 percent in 2007.
In contrast, nondenominational Protestantism is growing. Approximately 7.1 percent of Americans now identify with a nondenominational Christian church, up from 6.2 percent in 2014. These independent Bible churches and community congregations have become a significant and expanding segment of evangelicalism.
This shift signals that while commitment to evangelical identity remains strong among those in church, brand loyalty to specific denominations is weakening. Many believers now prioritize local church identity and theological conviction over historic denominational labels.
Persistence of Spiritual Hunger
Perhaps most encouraging for evangelical outreach is the widespread persistence of spiritual belief even among the “religiously unaffiliated.” An overwhelming majority of Americans—83 percent—say they believe in God or a universal spirit, and similarly high percentages believe humans have souls (86 percent) and that there’s a spiritual dimension to reality beyond the material (79 percent).
Even concepts of the afterlife remain widely accepted, with approximately 70 percent of Americans believing in heaven, hell, or both. Only a small minority (around 11 percent) explicitly reject belief in God (5 percent atheist, 6 percent agnostic).
The survey shows latent spiritual hunger even outside the church. Many “nones” still pray occasionally, sense transcendent meaning, or consider themselves “spiritual but not religious.”
Practical Implications for Churches
This plateau in religious decline presents an urgent opportunity that churches must seize now, not later. With demographic trends still working against sustained Christian influence, the following actions should be imperatives for this pivotal season:
1. Focus on deep discipleship of the committed core.
With nominal Christianity fading, churches must double down on rigorous biblical teaching and spiritual formation for those who remain. A smaller but spiritually strong church is better positioned to weather cultural storms than a larger congregation of casual believers. We should produce mature disciples who can in turn reach others.
2. Invest strategically in next-generation ministry.
The stark 34-point gap between young adult and senior faith identification (46 percent vs. 80 percent) demands urgent, targeted action. Churches should reallocate budgets to strengthen children’s programs, hire qualified youth pastors, and partner with campus ministries at nearby colleges.
We can develop comprehensive parent-equipping initiatives that teach mothers and fathers how to lead family devotions, answer difficult faith questions, and model authentic Christianity daily (Deut. 6:6–7). It would also be helpful for churches to create structured mentoring programs pairing spiritually mature adults with teenagers and young adults, focusing not just on Bible study but on life application and vocational discipleship.
3. Foster intergenerational community that bridges commitment and outreach.
The generational divide in religious affiliation presents both a challenge and an opportunity for churches. By intentionally creating spaces where older, committed believers connect meaningfully with younger generations, churches can both strengthen their congregations and reach the disaffiliated. These intergenerational bonds should go beyond structured mentoring programs to include shared worship, service projects, meals, and everyday life. In an era of institutional skepticism and digital isolation, the church stands uniquely positioned as one of the few remaining places where multiple generations naturally gather.
When churches lean into this distinctive strength—embodying the family of God across age boundaries—we offer something increasingly rare and precious in modern society. As Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Such intergenerational community serves multiple purposes: it provides wisdom and stability for younger seekers, infuses energy and fresh perspective into the committed core, and demonstrates the unifying power of the gospel across demographic divides. When visitors witness authentic love and unity spanning generations, the church becomes naturally attractive in our fragmented world.
4. Engage ‘nones’ with empathy and biblical truth.
Knowing that many unaffiliated Americans still hold spiritual beliefs creates openings for thoughtful evangelism. Churches can engage the broader community through forums addressing big life questions, apologetics events, or simply hospitable gatherings where spiritual seekers feel welcome to explore faith.
5. Hold fast to biblical teaching while communicating with grace.
In a culture where many values conflict with Christian teaching, some churches may be tempted to dilute difficult truths to attract younger generations. But the data suggests that doctrinal compromise hasn’t stemmed the tide of disaffiliation. Instead, we must continue to affirm Scripture’s authority and the call to holy living—but do so with the grace and compassion of Christ. Young seekers often respect churches that stand for transcendent truth more than those trying to blend in with culture.
Hope for the Road Ahead
The Pew findings give us reason for both concern and hope. We face the reality that the United States is increasingly post-Christian—especially among the young. Yet we also see God’s providence in a substantial remnant of believers and a widespread spiritual hunger that only the gospel can ultimately satisfy.
We see God’s providence in a substantial remnant of believers and a widespread spiritual hunger that only the gospel can ultimately satisfy.
More than 6 in 10 Americans still identify as Christian, and even many who don’t are searching for meaning. Though truly committed believers may be a minority culture, we’re called to fulfill the Great Commission, making disciples of all nations through our witness and teaching (Matt. 28:19–20). This mandate remains our primary task regardless of cultural trends.
The apparent stabilization in religious trends suggests God may be granting us a season to strengthen what remains and to sow seeds for future revival. While we cannot control cultural currents, we can recommit ourselves to gospel faithfulness in this moment.
For truth in every fact, visit itsthatpart.com.
Originally sourced via trusted media partner. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/decline-us-christianity-stopped/
