Over the past two months, Barna Group has conducted a survey of people who have recently attended church.
Over the past several years, church leaders in several denominations have reported a decline in church attendance.
But a reversal may occur. Barna’s findings show that young people and more men are attending worship services, raising questions about whether a revival is occurring.
Young Gen Z men: Millennials born between 1999 and 2015 and between 1984 and 1998 are responsible for the increase.
“Contrary to past reports of significant declines, church attendance in the United States is showing signs of resurgence, particularly among young people and men. The latest data suggests a mixed but hopeful picture: More Americans are returning to church, and male attendance is higher than at any point in the past 25 years of Barna research,” Barna Group said.
Why are young men attending more religious services?
Dr. Cory Marsh is Professor of New Testament at Southern California Theological Seminary. He believes Gen Z men want something real and are tired of virtual worlds run by computers, algorithms and dating apps.
The study also reveals new trends. Currently, more men than women attend worship services.
That never happened in the past. Barna says there has been a big shift between men and women since the coronavirus pandemic, with men significantly outnumbering women in church attendance. In 2025, the gender gap will be 43% for men and 36% for women.
A major gender shift: Since the pandemic, men have significantly outnumbered women in church attendance, reversing a long-standing trend that Barna has tracked for decades. The gender gap in 2025 will be the largest ever recorded (43% for men vs. 36% for women).
In the early 2000s, more women than men attended church, but this has been declining in recent years.
In a survey of women, Barna said that the increasing burden of juggling work, caregiving, and career is the reason why fewer women are attending religious services.
According to Barna’s analysis, more women are delaying marriage and staying single.
