Christians are good-news people. Sharing the good news of Jesus with the world is our calling. At the same time, we should rejoice in good news about the world.

It’s easy to focus on the negatives, but that can cause us to miss what God is doing. As Pentecostals, we believe the Lord is still at work in our churches, communities, and world. Indeed, there is much to celebrate.

Assemblies of God

The Assemblies of God USA has experienced impressive growth over the past several decades. The 2024 Annual Church Ministries Report showed a 6.2% increase in church worship service attendance compared to 2023.

Since 1975, Assemblies of God (AG) adherents in the U.S. have more than doubled — from 1.2 million to more than 3 million.

The Fellowship has become more diverse as well. The number of primarily ethnic minority or immigrant AG USA churches grew from 2,260 in 1989 to 5,081 in 2024. Ethnic minority and immigrant churches now comprise 40% of all AG congregations in the U.S.

Women in ministry have made significant gains. In 1985, 13.9% of all U.S. Assemblies of God credential holders were female. By 2024, the share had risen to a record 29.7%.

With the election of Nicole Heidt last year, the Wyoming Ministry Network became the first district/network led by a female superintendent.

Spirit-Filled Church

Pentecostalism is expanding around the world.

According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the number of Pentecostal and charismatic Christians increased from 57.6 million in 1970 to nearly 664 million in 2025. More than 8% of the global population is Pentecostal or charismatic today, compared to 1.6% in 1970.

The World Assemblies of God Fellowship grew from nearly 24 million adherents in 1990 to just under 89 million in 2022. Much of that growth has been in the Global South, especially Africa and Latin America.

American Faith

According to Barna Group’s State of the Church 2025 report, 66% of U.S. adults say they have made a personal commitment to Christ that remains important to them.

That represents an increase of 12 percentage points since 2021, when just 54% said the same.

“This shift is not only statistically significant — it may be the clearest indication of meaningful spiritual renewal in the United States,” a summary of the Barna report says.

Young adults are helping drive the trend toward Christian faith, with notable gains among Generation Z and millennial men in particular.

Spiritual Renewal

In recent years, there have been numerous reports of spiritual renewal across the country.

A revival at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, captured the nation’s attention during 2023. Since that time, worship and prayer events have drawn large crowds even at some public universities, such as the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and Auburn University in Alabama.

From 2014–24, the U.S. Assemblies of God saw increases of 15.3% in conversions, 27% in water baptisms, and 5.8% in Spirit baptisms.

Amid spiritual renewal at Journey Church (AG) in Kenosha, Wisconsin, nearly 300 people were baptized during a single event in August 2025.

Bible Engagement

The Wall Street Journal reported Bible sales in the U.S. were up 22% through October 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Another surge occurred during 2025.

Young adults are helping drive the trend toward Christian faith, 
with notable gains among Generation 
Z and millennial 
men in particular.

American Bible Society’s State of the Bible USA 2025 report found the number of adult Bible users in the U.S. increased by 10 million from 2024 to 2025.

Forty-one percent of U.S. adults are now interacting with Scripture on their own outside of church — the highest level since 2021.

Technology is making the Bible available to more people around the world. YouVersion Bible app tracked 11.2 million new device installs monthly throughout 2024, with 14 million users engaging daily.

Nearly 800,000 people are being discipled through the AG’s Bible Engagement Project curriculum.

In a 2020 Barna survey, 95% of U.S. Assemblies of God churchgoers said the Bible is the Word of God, and 94% affirmed Scripture as inerrant.

Social Change

There are encouraging social trends as well.

Divorce has been declining in recent years, data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals. The U.S. marriage rate remained steady from 2012–22. During that same period, the divorce rate fell from 9.8 to 7.1 (per 1,000 females aged 15 and over).

Meanwhile, Gallup reports alcohol consumption is at an all-time low. In 2025, just over half of Americans (54%) said they drink alcohol. This is a decline of 17 percentage points since 1976, when 71% of Americans were drinkers.

In fact, there are fewer Americans consuming alcohol now than at any other time since Gallup began polling on the question in 1939.

Since 2023, the share of Americans aged 18–34 who drink alcohol fell 9 percentage points, from 59% to 50%. Among 35- to 54-year-olds, drinking declined 10 percentage points, from 66% to 56%.

Adult alcohol consumption has decreased across all demographic categories, regardless of age, income level, race/ethnicity, gender, or political affiliation.

Teenage drinking and drug use are also declining. In 2023, 22% of high schoolers reported drinking alcohol, compared to 35% who said the same a decade earlier, according to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The survey likewise documented decreases in adolescent use of marijuana and illicit drugs, as well as the misuse of prescription opioids.

Additionally, the CDC survey shows fewer teenagers are having sex. In 2023, 32% of American high schoolers said they had engaged in sex, compared to 47% in 2013. The share of high schoolers describing themselves as sexually active declined from 34% in 2013 to 21% in 2023.

Abortion has been trending downward as well. From 2013–22, the total number of abortions in the U.S. decreased 5%, according to CDC figures.

Noticing the Good

Positive developments should come as no surprise to Pentecostals. After all, we pray for our nation and world. And we believe the Spirit is active in individual lives.

There is certainly no shortage of bad news and discouraging headlines in today’s world. However, we should be careful not to overlook the good things that are happening around us every day.

Whether it’s a population awakening to faith or a generation turning from life-controlling substances, good news reorients our hearts toward the positive and reminds us God is at work even as we await the redemption He alone can bring.

Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”

Our priority is always sharing the good news of Christ. Yet we can and should acknowledge good news wherever we find it. From revival to encouraging cultural trends, positive change is worth noticing, highlighting, and celebrating.

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