New Barna Data: Young Adults Lead a Resurgence in Church Attendance

September 2, 2025

By Barna Group

Reprinted from Barna Group

• A historic reversal: For the first time in decades, younger adults—Gen Z and Millennials—are now the most regular churchgoers, outpacing older generations, who once formed the backbone of church attendance.
• Why it matters: This shift signals a new opportunity for ministry. Younger adults are showing spiritual curiosity and a desire for belonging—but even as they attend more often than older adults, they still attend less than half the time, so every touchpoint matters.
• The leadership challenge: Weekly rhythms can no longer be assumed. Church leaders will need to reimagine discipleship pathways, relational connections and volunteer engagement in ways that resonate with a younger majority.

New research from Barna Group, as part of their ongoing State of the Church initiative with Gloo, reveals a surprising shift: Millennials and Gen Z are driving a resurgence in church attendance. As reports emerge of spiritual interest, rising faith activity, signs of revival—including Barna’s analysis of the recent rise in commitments to Jesus—churchgoing frequency is another improving trend among Millennials and Gen Z in the U.S. While overall church attendance trends have been flat in recent years, the return to church among the next generation stands out as a powerful sign of rising openness to faith.

The headline: Millennials and Gen Z Christians are attending church more frequently than before and much more often than are older generations. The typical Gen Z churchgoer now attends 1.9 weekends per month, while Millennial churchgoers average 1.8 times—a steady upward shift since the lows seen during the pandemic.

These are easily the highest rates of church attendance among young Christians since they first hit Barna’s tracking.

Daniel Copeland, Barna’s vice president of research, said, “We were able to analyze our data in a fresh way to show what many pastors feel—that even really regular churchgoers do not attend that often. Among all churched adults, we found that they attend, on average, 1.6 times per month, or roughly two out of every five weekends. This new analysis of the tracking data helps us better understand the frustrations pastors feel when they are trying to build momentum for their congregations, such as series-based preaching and mobilizing volunteers.”

“Even so, the fact that young people are showing up more frequently than before is not a typical trend,” Copeland explained. “It’s typically older adults who are the most loyal churchgoers. This data represents good news for church leaders and adds to the picture that spiritual renewal is shaping Gen Z and Millennials today.”

The Churchgoing Spike

Where is this renewal coming from? For decades, older adults—Boomers and Elders—were the most reliable churchgoers. Today, the pattern has shifted. Gen Z and Millennials, often labeled as disinterested in faith, show the highest levels of regular attendance.

The following chart depicts the degree to which frequent churchgoing has steadily risen among Millennial and Gen Z. In 2020, the average was close to one weekend per month. Now, those rates are up nearly one extra weekend a month, nearly double the rates of just five years ago.

(Note that the rates of Gen Z churchgoing in 2017 and 2018 are higher due to the fact that Gen Zers at that time were just becoming old enough to be counted in Barna’s adult sampling. In other words, those years only represent 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds, and their data would be more likely to mirror their parents’ religious activities.)

A Generational Reversal

The rebound of churchgoing among younger adults contrasts with older generations, whose participation is flat (as shown in the next chart). Over the last 25 years, Elders and Boomers are well below the frequency of attendance they practiced in the past; Gen X churchgoing has landed at about the same rate as it was in 2000.

Looking back, Elder churchgoers came about 2.3 times per month in 2000 and Boomers were consistently attending about half of all weekends (2.0 times per month). Those participation rates have steadily declined over the past 25 years. Gen X attendance has held steady but has not grown. In contrast, younger generations have moved from an average of just over one weekend per month in 2020 to nearly two in 2025.

Also noteworthy is that all three older generations of churchgoers are about as likely to attend church as in the years immediately before the pandemic.

Turning Churchgoers Into Disciples

“The significant drop-off among older generations shows that the fabric of congregational life is changing. It’s more frayed and less gray than it was a decade ago,” notes David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna Group. “The influx of new generations represents a massive opportunity for congregational leaders, but this renewed interest must be stewarded well.”

“Our research clearly shows that churchgoing alone does not in itself create devoted disciples. Even with the increasing participation of younger generations, there is still the challenge of shaping hearts and minds to live out their faith beyond church participation,” adds Kinnaman

What This Means for Church Leaders

For pastors and ministry leaders, the uptick in next gen church attendance presents both opportunity and challenge:

• Opportunity: Younger adults are coming back. Churches that offer relational connection, spiritual mentoring and authentic belonging can nurture this renewed interest into depth of faith.
• Challenge: Attendance, while improving, is still far from weekly. Discipleship strategies must account for a rhythm where people are present at church less than half the time. Digital tools can help bridge this gap. Church apps for texting and small groups, as well as online resources for spiritual growth can help augment the in-person Sunday experience.

Looking Ahead

If these trends continue, the spiritual explorations of the next generation could redefine the makeup and momentum of Christianity and of congregations in the coming decade. The data points to a future where the vitality of the Church may hinge on how well leaders engage the spiritual curiosity and commitments of younger adults.

Meaningful church starts with meaningful connection. Discover how to engage every generation—especially the next—through your small groups in the Transformational Small Groups CoLab. Register now!

About the Research