AMANDA REPORTS: New Barna Survey Confirms Growing Spiritual Interest Among Young

(654 WORDS) — Interest among young adults in Jesus Christ, Bible reading and church participation is measurably increasing, according to a new Barna Group national survey of ministers.

Research conducted by the Fort Worth, Texas-based Barna Group indicates young adults are gaining interest not only in attending church, but also who Jesus is and why He is personally important to them. They are also reading the Bible to learn more.

This shift comes as a growing number of Americans believe a genuine spiritual revival is gathering strength in America.

A survey of 507 senior pastors shows Gen Zers and Millennials now participate more in church with greater interest in learning about Jesus and the Bible. Based on the report, pastor observations suggest this momentum appears slow albeit picking up speed among young adult men and women.

According to Gallup, though, interest in religion as personally very important declined some in recent years, it increased and remains steady at 47 percent as of 2024.

Barna’s data point to renewed interest in church but no precise reason. The report suggests complexity as church congregations differ by national region, age and church size which can play appreciable roles in involvement.

Specific growth is occurring in some larger churches, especially among young men, though not all churches are experiencing higher involvement. But where engagement is increasing, it is accompanied by more Bible reading and additional church activity.

“What makes these findings significant is not that engagement is rising everywhere. It clearly is not. Rather, the data suggests that in a substantial number of churches, pastors are seeing real signs of renewed interest and participation among younger generations,” Barna says.

Men aged 18 to 35 were especially among the higher numbers for church engagement, according to 40 percent of pastors queried. Although church involvement by men revealed significant increases, other pastors reported a notable decrease.

Participation by women showed less divergent patterns regardless of age. However, women aged 18 to 35 were reported as engaging more in church, but less than their male counterparts.

Non-mainline churches, the more conservative and evangelical with younger pastors, are reporting increased young adult involvement. This development comes after decades of decline among younger generations.

Curiosity for learning what the Bible says, especially about Jesus and what this knowledge means for an individual’s life and eternity, reveals a pivotal impact on younger generations.

Pastor observations indicate newer generations express a desire to understand what they believe the Bible teaches about Jesus, truth, and what it means to be a Christian.

Barna research suggests, “In many congregations, younger adults are not only expressing curiosity about faith—they are attending, participating and leaning more fully into the life of the church.”

Related research found a striking correlation between interest in who Jesus is and making a lasting personal commitment to him.

“According to Barna’s latest data, 66 percent of all U.S. adults say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today. That marks a 12-percentage-point increase since 2021, when commitment levels reached their lowest in more than three decades of Barna tracking.

“This shift is not only statistically significant—it may be the clearest indication of meaningful spiritual renewal in the United States. Commitment to Jesus was lowest in 2021 and 2022, when it bottomed out at 54 percent. Since then, the research shows a steady, year-over-year increase in the key indicator.”

The 2025 State of Theology study cited in a Lifeway Research article by Shane Pruitt, reveals a stunning divide, however. Study responses asking who Jesus is showed 71 percent of Americans believe only one true God exists in the three Persons of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Yet half answered that Jesus “was a great teacher but not God.”

Pruitt emphasizes the importance of Bible reading to learn the truth about Jesus: “How we live reveals what we believe to be true about Jesus. But to get objective truth about Him, we need to look to the Bible.”

---