Most churchgoing Americans aren’t traveling far to worship, a survey from Baylor University reveals.

Nearly half of those who attend Christian services (47 percent) travel between six and 15 minutes to get to their place of worship, and another 21 percent travel five minutes or less.

Just under a quarter (23 percent) travel 16 to 30 minutes to church, and only 9 percent make a journey of more than 30 minutes.

Roughly 6 in 10 evangelical Protestants live within 15 minutes of their church, with 14 percent residing no more than five minutes away.

Black Protestants generally make longer commutes to church, with 19 percent traveling more than 30 minutes, and 40 percent traveling 16 to 30 minutes — a finding the report’s authors attribute to the “strong draw of ethnic churches.”

Roughly 6 in 10 evangelical Protestants live within 15 minutes of their church.

Worshipers living in small towns make shorter commutes to church than those in cities, suburbs and rural areas. More than a quarter of small-town residents (27 percent) live within five minutes of church.

Proximity to church has implications for attendance. Approximately half of those who live within 30 minutes of their place of worship attend weekly, compared to just 32 percent of those who travel farther to church.

In addition, people who live close to church are more likely to say they feel “completely satisfied” with their neighborhood. Some 24 percent of those living five minutes or less from church, and 22 percent of those living six to 15 minutes from church, express the highest level of neighborhood satisfaction, compared to 17 percent of those 16 to 30 minutes from church and 11 percent of those traveling more than 30 minutes to church.

Chris Railey, senior director of leadership and church development ministries for the Assemblies of God, says this highlights the importance of church planting.

“People are more likely to attend church when there are fewer barriers, and they recognize the value of joining a faith community that is part of the neighborhood,” Railey says. “God is calling us to take the gospel to the places where people are living and raising their families, from the rural regions to the cities, towns, villages and suburbs.

"That’s why we are dedicated to the vision of planting healthy, Spirit-empowered churches in every community in the United States.”