While researchers continue to talk about the changing moral and religious landscape in America, a recent report by Pew crunches the numbers to better contextualize the statistics. 

If the United States was made up of 100 adults, Pew shows 47 percent of the population would be Protestants. This is composed of 25 percent Evangelical Protestants, 15 percent Mainline Protestants and six percent Historically Black Protestant Religions. If you include Catholics (21%), Mormons (2%) and “Other Christian” denominations (2%), Pew reports 71 out of the 100 would be Christians.

The religiously unaffiliated would be a large percentage, too, 23 out of the 100 identify with no organized faith groups. Two percent would be Jewish, and Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist faiths would each claim one percent of the population.

Given the diversity of Americans’ religious affiliations, it is crucial for you church to have a strategy for reaching them. Check out “Becoming an Engaging Church” from Rice Broocks.