A Lifeway Research study has revealed that 53% of U.S. adults believe that a person should be considered a regular churchgoer only if they attend church services at least weekly. The online survey, conducted from August 14 to 30, 2024, involved 1,200 Americans from a nationally pre-recruited panel.
One in five respondents believe that the standard for regular attendance is less than weekly but at least monthly. Six percent indicated that attending three times a month qualifies, 8% stated twice a month, and another 6% said once a month, according to the Baptist Press.
Roughly one in seven Americans believe that attending church 10 times a year or less is sufficient, with variations in responses: 2% said six to ten times a year, 2% four to five times, 4% two to three times, and 5% indicated that a regular churchgoer attends at least once a year. Moreover, 14% expressed uncertainty regarding the criteria.
In a previous Lifeway Research study that focused on Americans who attend Protestant or non-denominational church services at least once a month, it was found that most churchgoers (59%) believe that one must attend at least weekly to be recognized as a regular church attender, including 14% who stated that attendance should be more than once a week.
However, A 2022 Lifeway Research study indicated that only around one in six pastors (16%) believe that regular churchgoers must attend at least weekly. Despite this, pastors tend to be stricter regarding the types of church activities counted, with more than a third (37%) asserting that only in-person church services qualify.
The survey highlighted that Catholics (48%) and Protestants (44%) are more likely than those who are religiously unaffiliated (37%) to deem weekly attendance as the threshold for regular churchgoing; however, the unaffiliated group is the most inclined to believe that regular attendance means attending more than once a week (15%).
Demographic differences emerged, with older Americans showing a greater tendency to hold a higher standard for regular church attendance. Those aged 50-64 (54%) and 65 and older (50%) are more likely than younger age groups, such as those 18-34 (37%) or 35-49 (33%), to see weekly churchgoing as the standard.
Younger individuals were more likely to classify those attending less frequently as regular churchgoers. Among those aged 65 and older, only 3% believed that regular churchgoers could include individuals attending one to ten times a year, compared to 18% of those aged 35-49 and 25% of those aged 18-34.
While 53% of U.S. adults agree that a regular churchgoer attends church at least weekly, 60% believe attendance should encompass a church service rather than just any church activity. Among Americans, 33% cited that the basis for determining regular church attendance is how often one attends church services in person, while another 27% based it on attendance at either in-person or online services.
Self-identified Protestants are less likely than the religiously unaffiliated to define churchgoing by the frequency of in-person attendance (30% vs. 38%). Conversely, those with evangelical beliefs are more inclined to use this standard (38% vs. 32%), with those who attend church services weekly being the most likely at 52%.
Meanwhile, Younger adults those aged 18-34, generally use positive descriptors for church attendance such as admirable (34%), common (32%), popular (29%), and expected (29%), but they are also among those who view it as unusual (14%) and useless (8%).
Despite their positive views on church attendance, many believe that the trend is declining in the U.S. Half of respondents feel that the church in America is either declining (42%) or dying (9%). In contrast, only a small percentage describe the U.S. church as stable (18%), growing (10%), or thriving (6%), while 4% state that none of these sentiments reflect current trends and 10% are uncertain.
