U.S. Church Attendance Rises as Share of Previously Unchurched Newcomers Falls

September 3, 2026

A survey conducted by Lifeway Research, shows more than half of U.S. Protestant pastors say their churches are drawing larger weekend worship crowds than they did two years ago, even as the share of newcomers with no previous church involvement continues to fall.

Christianity Today reports that the latest Lifeway Research survey, sponsored by the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, polled 1,003 Protestant pastors by phone from Sept. 2-24, 2025, using a stratified random sample drawn from a list of all Protestant churches.

The survey showed 54 percent of Protestant pastors said average worship attendance at their congregations had risen by at least 4 percent since 2023.

Researchers reported another 30 percent reported attendance remained essentially unchanged, staying within 4 percent above or below 2023 levels, while 16 percent said their congregations declined by at least 4 percent. On average, pastors reported 16 percent growth over the two years.

The survey also revealed denominational differences with Pentecostal pastors among the most likely to report growth of at least 4 percent, at 63 percent, followed by Baptists and nondenominational pastors at 57 percent each.

According to Christianity Daily, pastors reported Young adults ages 18 to 30 account for an average of 17 percent of attendance at Protestant churches, roughly matching their share of the overall U.S. population.

Despite overall attendance gains, churches are drawing a smaller share of newcomers who previously had no church involvement.

Researchers report that in 2016, pastors estimated that 27 percent of their new attendees had not previously attended church, compared with 20 percent today.

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