A new survey from Pew Research Center highlights the unique evangelistic opportunities the Christmas season brings for churches.

More than half of Americans (54 percent) say they will attend church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day — including 60 percent of those who attend services infrequently throughout the year, 9 percent of those who seldom or never attend, and 12 percent of the religiously unaffiliated, or “nones.”

Overall, 9 in 10 Americans will celebrate Christmas, and about half (51 percent) plan to attend religious services. These numbers have remained largely unchanged in recent years.

These figures are reminders of the importance of preaching the Christmas story. 

However, the number of Americans who believe the major elements of the Christmas story has declined, especially among millennials and “nones.” For instance, just 17 percent of the unaffiliated believe Jesus was born of a virgin, compared to 30 percent who believed this in 2014. Similarly, 28 percent of “nones” accept as truth the story about wise men following a star to bring gifts to Jesus, down from 41 percent just three years ago.

Among respondents ages 18 to 29, belief in the virgin birth fell 16 percentage points, from 70 percent in 2014 to 54 percent today, and belief in the Bible account of the wise men dropped 20 percentage points during that period, from 74 percent to 54 percent. Just over half (52 percent) of 18- to 29-year-olds believe an angel announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds, compared to 69 percent who believed this in 2014. And 64 percent today accept that baby Jesus was placed in a manger, compared to 80 percent who expressed belief in this part of the Bible story three years ago.

Overall, Americans who attend church weekly held steady in their belief in these four elements of the Christmas story (virgin birth, angelic announcement, wise men, and manger), at more than 90 percent assent. Those who attend infrequently or not at all slipped in their faith in the Christmas story details across the board.

A majority of Americans still believe in all four elements of the Christmas story (57 percent). Yet believers are now in the minority among young adults, with only 43 percent of those aged 18 to 29 accepting all four Bible story elements.

These figures are reminders of the importance of preaching the Christmas story and trusting the Holy Spirit to move on the hearts and minds of skeptics who may be attending church for the first time in months or years.