A new national study — conducted by the Family Research Council in partnership with the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University — reveals “a startling erosion of biblical conviction among regular U.S. churchgoers.”
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“Once-firm beliefs about family life, and morality are giving way to cultural influence and personal opinion. Even among those who attend church regularly, moral clarity is fading fast,” the group reported.
What happens when culture shapes churchgoers more than Scripture?
The group surveyed more than 1,000 regular churchgoers — adults who attend Christian worship services at least once a month — “on a wide range of moral, social, and theological issues, including abortion, family, gender, worldview, Israel, and politics.”
Researcher George Barna noted, “My first of two detailed reports from the study focuses on the sharp shifts in how U.S. churchgoers view the sanctity of life and the definition of family, revealing significant changes in belief and behavior even among those who have long identified with biblical truth.”
Key findings
Here are some key findings from the research, he noted:
- “Only 43% of churchgoers now identify as pro-life, down from 63% in 2023.
- Just 46% of churchgoers embrace a biblical definition of family — one man and one woman married with children.
- Among Gen Z churchgoers, that number drops to 34%, and less than half (49%) affirm marriage as only between a man and woman.
- Confidence in Scripture is slipping — only 51% now believe the Bible is unambiguous in its teaching on abortion, down from 65% two years ago.
- Nearly three-quarters (73%) of churchgoers hold contradictory views on abortion, reflecting widespread moral confusion.
- Yet, more than 80% affirm that every person is made in God’s image.”
Barna noted he conducted a similar study with the Family Research Council in 2023 — and the changes in the beliefs of American churchgoers since then are “dramatic.”
“The share of churchgoers identifying as pro-life has plunged by 20 percentage points since 2023,” he said. “At the same time, those identifying as ‘pro-choice’ rose from 22% to 35%. Support for the biblical definition of family has declined across every generation, with the steepest losses among young adults. And churchgoers’ confidence in the Bible speaking to these issues is waning.”
‘Serious discipleship crisis’
David Closson, director of FRC’s Center for Biblical Worldview, noted that “confusion inside the church is not primarily a political problem; it’s a discipleship problem.” He explained, “When the people of God lose moral clarity on an issue as fundamental as the sanctity of life, it signals a serious discipleship crisis.”
Barna said Christians are being shaped more by culture than by Scripture — and today’s report documents how this is even occurring among regular churchgoers.
“I’m convinced the media bombardment promoting a new moral standard is clearly having a transformative effect on Americans,” he said. “And that influence is especially evident among younger adults, where biblical conviction about life, family and morality is generally absent.”
Closson noted, “The next generation is being catechized daily by social media, entertainment, and academia — often far more effectively than by the local church.”
Bright spots
Still, even among these troubling trends, there were some bright spots:
The vast majority of churchgoers still affirm core biblical truths about God and human value, Barna reported.
More than 80% believe that every person is made in the image of God, 83% agree that every human being has undeniable worth and dignity, and 75% affirm that the God of the Bible is the only author of life, the report said.
These convictions provide a foundation for rebuilding.
“I’m convinced the best response is not retreat but engagement,” Barna said. “Bible-believing Christians must be more candid and bolder in engaging friends and family in dialogue about critical moral issues. We cannot let unbiblical views go unchallenged.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — The Baptist Paper edited this report that was originally released by George Barna and the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. Barna, who founded the original Barna Group and now serves as director of research at the CRC, has more than four decades of experience studying faith and culture. He is the author of more than 60 books, including “Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child’s Heart, Mind and Soul.”
