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Christianity Is Showing Signs of Revival - Barna Research's Annual Survey On the State of American Faith Oxnard, CA -- Just one year ago, it appeared that the Christian Church in America was on the way out: out of people's minds, out of their hearts, out of their schedules, out of their future. But the latest in the annual series of religion tracking studies by the Barna Research Group, of Oxnard, California, shows that the multi-year decline of Christianity appears to have bottomed out and the Christian faith is now experiencing a renaissance of sorts. The latest figures, based on a representative nationwide survey of 1007 adults, have been published in The Barna Report, a bi-monthly newsletter from George Barna, the researcher of religious trends and president of the company which conducts the oft-cited survey. The newly-published issue indicates that there have been significant increases in church attendance, Sunday school attendance and born again Christians. There has been no change in Bible reading, small group participation, church volunteerism, and evangelicals. Heaven Bound Barna's 1994 survey showed that 36% of adults were "born again"; the figure increased slightly, to 39%, in 1995. 1 That change was within the range of sampling error, meaning that it may have been a real shift in people's spiritual commitments or it may have simply been due to imprecision in the measurement process (i.e. because of using of a population sample rather than a census). The figure remained unchanged in 1996, at 39%. However, the 1997 study shows the proportion of born again adults has increased to 43%. That four point lift is greater than the margin of sampling error, and represents a rise of seven percentage points since 1994. This increase is largely due to the rapid expansion of born again Christians within the Catholic church. In 1995, only one-fifth of all Catholic adults (22%) were born again. Today, almost one-third (31%) are born again -- a 41% increase in two years! To place that growth in context, during that same period of time there has been a small decline in the proportion of adults who attend mainline Protestant churches who are born again (dropping from 46% down to 44%). The largest segment of the Protestant domain, Baptists, has experienced a seven percentage point rise, from 64% to 71%, representing 11% growth in the past two years. The surge of faith in the Catholic church can be described from yet another angle, one which underscores its significance. Today, Catholics constitute 16% of the adult born again population. That's one out of every six born again Christians. Denominationally, Catholics are the second most prolific segment of born again believers, trailing only those associated with Baptist churches (31%), and surpassing the proportion associated with any of the other large Protestant groups - i.e. the Church of Christ (3%), Episcopal (1%), Lutheran (5%), Methodist (9%), and Presbyterian (5%) churches - by at least a three-to-one margin. Also worthy of note is the fact that in spite of a resurgence of interest in religion among men, the born again Christian increase is due mostly to women turning to Christ. In these past two years, the proportion of men who are believers has risen slightly, from 36% to 39%. (That small increase is not statistically significant.) The proportion of females who have accepted Jesus as their savior has grown from 42% to 48%. Thus, women still represent the majority of believers (56% of all born again adults). Church Attendance In 1996, average weekly church attendance reached its lowest point in the past 15 years. However, the escalation of interest in religion and spirituality has brought about a significant influx of adults back to the church. These gains have been steadily increasing since last January, when just 37% of adults were attending religious services during a typical week. Since that time attendance has consistently grown, reaching 43% in January of this year. That figure reflects a return to the attendance levels of 1994 and 1995. The increase is partly attributed to male Baby Boomers. While people in their twenties and those fifty or older show little change in attendance habits from their 1996 levels, there has been a return to the fold among many men in their thirties and forties. Another factor in the increase is the many inactive born again Christians who have recently been reactivated. Also, there has been a substantial decline in attendance among Seniors (i.e . those now 70 or older) in the last few years, surpassing the natural decline that would be expected as people reach their eighth decade or beyond . Even more significant numerically is the low attendance rate among Baby Busters. This emerging adult segment, most of whom are now in their twenties , constitutes the second largest generation in America's history -- and one of its most church resistant. Currently, only one out of every three Busters attends a church service in a typical week. There has been no change in their attendance rates during this decade. Barna noted that his research provides no reason to expect an increase of significant proportions among this group in the years immediately ahead. Other Findings Other findings published in March-April issue of The Barna Report included: Sunday School. Attendance in adult Sunday schools has grown significantly for the first time this decade. After reaching a low point in 1996, attendance has risen to 23%, up from 17% the prior January. Personal Evangelism. Participation in personal evangelism has increased. Currently, nearly six out of ten Christians claim that they have shared their faith with a non-Christian during the past year. 2 Unchurched Adults. The proportion of unchurched adults has remained stable. Currently 27% of all adults indicate they have not attended a Christian church service, other than a holiday service or special event, during the past six months. One-fifth of the unchurched are born again Christians. Evangelicals. While the proportion of adults who are defined as evangelicals has remained unchanged, the spiritual commitment of this group remains strong. 3 Even when compared to born again Christians, the evangelicals are substantially more likely to attend church, read the Bible, attend Sunday school, participate in a small group, volunteer at a church, and donate money to the church. Evangelicals are a tiny segment within the adult population -- only 7% -- but form a firm foundation within the Church. Volunteerism. In spite of the pressure of frantic schedules and the desire to earn money to sustain a comfortable lifestyle, the proportion of adults who volunteer their free time to participate in the life of a church has remained stable for the past several years. Currently, about one-fourth of all adults are actively involved in the church's efforts during a typical week. Women remain the foundation of the church's volunteer corps. Small group ministries. The proportion of adults currently involved in a small group or cell group ministry has remained unchanged for the third year in a row. Barna pointed out that this is especially noteworthy because so many thousands of Christian churches have changed their ministry structures and programs to emphasize the development of both community and discipleship primarily through small groups. According to Barna, this lack of growth in small group attendance may presage a period in which millions of people's faith will fail to achieve the depth which many churches intend to provide through the small group setting, and a time when gains in church attendance might not be sustained unless there are significant personal relationships developed between the newcomers and others in the church -- relationships which many churches rely upon small groups to foster. Bible Reading. The proportion of adults who read the Bible in a typical week, outside of church services, has remained unchanged in the past year, languishing near its historic low level of just one out of every three adults. Only half of the born again segment reads from the Scriptures during a typical week. Bible reading is most common among Seniors (57%), least common among Busters (27%). In summary, Barna offered an upbeat analysis of the new results. "Overall, these data provide the first rays of hope the Christian Church in America has seen in several years, " Barna stated. "It is too early to say that spiritual revival has gripped the nation. However, there is an undeniable interest in spirituality among tens of millions of Americans, and much of that interest is being pursued through church-related activities. Realize, too, that these figures raise hope for the moral and emotional restoration of American society. Historically, societies firmly rooted in, and committed to, positive spiritual convictions are comparatively more compassionate and productive. If this spiritual reawakening of our nation continues, America's culture could be revolutionized, as evidenced by effects such as decreases in violence, emotionally healthy families, a superior work ethic and a more community-minded society." These data are based on a representative, nationwide survey of adults conducted by the Barna Research Group, of Oxnard, CA, in January, 1997. The margin of sampling error is +3 percentage points, at the 95% confidence interval. The survey was conducted by telephone, using a random-digit dial sample. The survey is conducted annually by Barna Research, which independently develops, conducts and funds the survey. Barna releases these data in various publications, such as The Barna Report and one of his most recent books, The Index of Leading Spiritual Indicators. For further information, contact George Barna, at 805-658-8885. Footnotes: 1. In Barna Research surveys a "born again Christian" is someone who says they have "made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in [their] life today" and that they believe that after they die they will "go to Heaven because [they] have confessed [their] sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as [their] savior." Respondents are not asked if they consider themselves to be a "born again Christian." 2. Individuals described as "not Christian" are identified as such because they do not fit the "born again" criteria, described above. Most of these individuals describe themselves as Christian, even though they do not rely upon Christ for their salvation. 3. In Barna Research surveys an individual is categorized
as an "evangelical" based on their answers to nine questions regarding
matters of faith. Evangelicals, according to this approach, meet the
criteria for being born again, as described above; say their
faith is very important in their life today; believe they have a
personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ
with non-Christians; believe that Satan exists; believe that eternal
salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believe that Jesus
Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and describe God as the
all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and
still rules it today. Thus, evangelicals are a
subset of the born again Christian population. Notice that
being categorized as an evangelical is not dependent upon church
attendance, church membership or denominational affiliation. Changes in American Faith During the Nineties (% who participated in a typical week) Percentage of adults involved activity
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