Most churchgoers try to avoid sin before it happens and seek to confess it afterward. For many, confession is a regular part of their faith.
The joint action of obeying God and denying self is one of eight signposts that seek to measure characteristics evident in believers progressing in spiritual maturity in Lifeway Research’s State of Discipleship study. On a scale of 0 to 100, the average U.S. Protestant churchgoer scores 75.1 on this signpost, ranking it second.
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As part of that attribute, most churchgoers say they confess their sins and wrongdoings to God and ask for forgiveness at least a few times a week.
More than 2 in 5 (44%) confess to God every day, while a quarter (26%) do so a few times a week. Fewer say they ask for forgiveness once a week (13%), a few times a month (8%) or once a month (4%). Few churchgoers say they rarely or never confess sins (4%).
In a 2012 Lifeway Research study, 39% of Protestant churchgoers confessed their sins to God and asked for forgiveness every day, 27% did so a few times a week, 27% confessed between once a week and once a month and 8% said it happened rarely or never.
“The confession of sins to God is counter-cultural,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “Today, many people in America want to set their own moral compass, but we see large numbers of churchgoers agreeing with God that they crossed His moral boundaries and acknowledge His authority in their lives.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Aaron Earls and originally published by Lifeway Research.
