Over the past two years, there has been a slight increase in the share of Americans attending church. According to American Bible Society’s State of the Bible 2026 report, 42% of Americans attend church today (in person or online), compared to 39% in 2024.

Before celebrating, we should consider whether those coming through the doors are staying and growing.

The recent uptick comes almost entirely from a group American Bible Society calls nominals — people who claim the Christian label but attend no more than 11 times annually. Compared to 2024, fewer nominals now say they never attend (35%, down from 38%), and fewer attend less than once annually (26%, down from 32%).

Movement isn’t the same as transformation, however. The share of casual and practicing Christians — those attending at least monthly — didn’t increase at all. And a small slice of nominals (3%) went the other direction, dropping the Christian label entirely.

Increased attendance is worth cheering. But churches should also aim for more than people simply showing up or tuning in online. True discipleship requires engagement.

Church Engagement

American Bible Society’s church engagement scale measures “involvement in the life, mission, and community of a local church.”

We created this scale during 2025 to study how people learn, grow, use their spiritual gifts at church, and develop meaningful relationships with other churchgoers.

Unsurprisingly, those who attend services weekly are the most engaged in the life of their church. When attendance drops to once monthly, we see a significant decrease in church engagement.

In fact, those who attend monthly are no more engaged than those attending only twice annually. This suggests consistent attendance — weekly or at least biweekly — is vital.

It turns out that church engagement is good for overall well-being, too. A majority of those who are highly church engaged have high scores in hope and human flourishing — especially in the categories of meaning and purpose and close social relationships.

Church-engaged people also report less stress, anxiety, and loneliness.

Family Matters

The oldest members of Generation Z are turning 29, meaning many of them are now young parents. State of the Bible 2026 explores how parenting affects the faith practices of different generations and how their kids feel about going to church.

While Gen Z is the least church-engaged generation, parenting has the potential to flip the script. Gen Z parents are more likely to identify as Christian (62%) than their childless peers (44%). Most are nominal and casual Christians, though.

Raising children can open people to faith. If churches are intentional about discipling young parents, this openness might lead to a deeper commitment strengthened by church engagement.

Managing work-family balance is an obstacle to greater church involvement among many parents. In fact, this is the top parenting challenge across generations.

Those who attend monthly are no 
more engaged 
than those 
attending only 
twice annually.

Parents must decide how to spend the limited family time they have. Generation Z parents are significantly more concerned about addressing the spiritual needs of their children (17%) than millennial (8%) and Generation X (10%) parents. Many young parents are turning to local churches for help.

Of course, spiritual formation begins at home. Yet only about 1 in 7 (14%) parents read the Bible with their children often. Many churches recognize this as a major discipleship gap, and are equipping parents to help their children grow spiritually.

Overall, today’s children like going to church. Kids aged 2–5 enjoy church the most (72%), with enjoyment decreasing only slightly among 6- to 12-year-olds (66%) and teenagers (61%).

It is encouraging that the majority of children and youth feel positively about church involvement, even if the sentiment declines with age. The value of vibrant student ministry remains evident, as does teaching kids why church is important. These factors can impact a young person’s choice to prioritize church engagement after reaching adulthood.

Bible Engagement

One way to increase church engagement is to help people develop a lifelong love of Scripture.

Over the years, State of the Bible has seen a strong correlation between Scripture engagement and church engagement. We measure Scripture engagement by the frequency of Bible use, the impact of its message on the user, and the centrality of its message in the user’s life.

Unfortunately, most churchgoers (64%) are not Scripture engaged. Research in 2025 showed Scripture engagement improves with church attendance. Yet even among weekly churchgoers, nearly half (46%) do not regularly engage with the Bible outside of services.

This means that being in church every Sunday does not necessarily lead to picking up the Bible during the week. But what about the inverse relationship? What would happen to church attendance if Scripture engagement increased?

Interestingly, Scripture engagement is highest among churchgoers in evangelical and historically Black Protestant denominations, two groups that have seen an increase in church attendance from 2024–26. This includes the Assemblies of God.

People who read the Bible tend to go to church. Those most engaged with their church are also Scripture engaged.

We also noticed something those at the highest level of church engagement have in common. Ninety percent strongly agreed that their church leaders make the Bible relevant and encourage them to read Scripture.

Church leaders who want to increase church engagement must be intentional about connecting the Bible’s message to everyday life.

It’s easy to assume that with so many Bible translations and formats available today, the ancient text of Scripture is more accessible than ever. But people are busier than ever, too, and overwhelmed by options. Attention spans are short, and anxiety is high.

Despite the challenges, if a pastor can guide even a few believers to pick up the Bible consistently throughout the week, there is a good chance those individuals will engage more in the church. Lives will be transformed, along with the life of the congregation.

A Hopeful Story

More than 4 in 5 of those in the high church engagement group agree strongly with the statement, “The message of the Bible has transformed my life.”

When we consider what we want for our churches, life transformation through the gospel is at the heart. Parents, children, and nominal Christians are among many who need to know why they should lean in instead of walking away.

While church attendance in America can encourage us one day and discourage us the next, there seems to be an openness to both church and the Bible.

We serve a God who can do a lot with a little — and when we look at the story behind the numbers, we can see Him at work.

This article appears in the Summer 2026 issue of Influence magazine.