Most churchgoers keep faith contained to Sunday, new research finds

By Tara Roberts

Millions of Americans attend church every week. For many, much of their religious and spiritual engagement ends when the worship service does, according to new research from the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations (EPIC) project at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. For a smaller group, church is one part of a rich variety of religious and spiritual activities.

The findings are part of “Spiritual But Also Religious? Examining the Religious and Spiritual Practices of US Church Attenders,” a report based on survey responses from more than 24,000 church attenders in over 80 Christian denominations across the United States in fall 2024.

The data shows that nearly 40% of church attenders say they do not regularly engage in either religious or spiritual practices, as defined by the report, in their personal lives. 

“They might just be getting their religion for the week when they’re showing up for church,” said Charissa Mikoski, an assistant professor of research with the Hartford Institute.

In contrast, only 12% of attenders say they are regularly engaged with both spiritual and religious practices.

Defining and measuring religious and spiritual practices

Religious practices included in the survey were: (1) praying, (2) reading the Bible, (3) sharing faith with others, (4) using online faith-based resources, and (5) participating in small groups.

Spiritual practices, which were adapted from the Fetzer Institute, were: (1) art as a

spiritual practice, (2) being in nature as a spiritual practice, (3) acts of service as a spiritual

practice, (4) physical activities (like yoga) as a spiritual practice, (5) writing as a spiritual

practice, and (6) fasting as a spiritual practice. 

The researchers measured religious and spiritual engagement by averaging how frequently respondents did each practice on the list on a scale from 0 (never) to 5 (more than once a week). To be considered regularly engaged, respondents had to average at least once a month or more across all practices.

Mikoski noted that people whose responses put them into the “neither” category aren’t necessarily doing nothing at all.

“They could have a very regular prayer life, but just not be doing the other things on a regular level,” she said.

Age and race are connected to engagement

Age was a significant variable among respondents: Silent Generation church attenders are the most likely to be in the “neither” category, while Gen Z attenders are the most likely to be in the “both” category.

Mikoski said some of this difference is likely related to the practices the survey asked about. Age-related barriers or unfamiliarity with technology could limit older attendees from engaging in the full list of practices.

Rev. Hannah Brown of the United Church of Moscow in Moscow, Idaho, is a Gen Z clergy member who pastors a congregation that is majority retirement age and older. She said she’s noticed that many of her older congregants are less familiar with the idea of engaging with their faith through activities like writing or physical activity. 

To help older people consider new activities, Brown shares her own experiences with spiritual practices. She also encourages congregations to practice together — for example, taking five minutes at the end of a service to try something new, “making it a little more collaborative and a little more communal, so that people don’t feel as uncomfortable trying it on their own.”

Another notable factor the research found was race: Black church attenders are more likely to fall into the “both” category.

Rev. Walter Kendricks, pastor of the predominantly Black congregation Morning Star Baptist Church in Spokane, Washington, said this finding is evidence of faith in action: “It doesn’t surprise me that Black people, more so than any other group, apply their faith and live out their faith.”

He said the finding that Black churchgoers are more likely to be engaged in activities like art or being in nature as a spiritual practice also aligns with their culture.

“Black people are very creative; they make something out of nothing,” he said. “It does not surprise me that their faith would be applied to the arts, or to whatever endeavor they undertake.”

Online attenders are more likely to engage

Church size plays little role in religious and spiritual engagement. However, online and hybrid attenders — a group that has grown in recent years — are more likely to fall into the “both” category.

People may assume that online attenders are “passive religious consumers,” but the findings demonstrate otherwise, Mikoski said.

“People who are doing online worship are also curious about religious and spiritual life and how they can engage with that more fully throughout the week,” she said.

What clergy can learn

Clergy members who are trying to bridge the gap between weekly worship services and the rest of the week could find inspiration in this research, Mikoski said. 

For example, leaders could create programs to help people engage more, such as a structure for at-home Bible reading and prayer or a list of faith-based websites for people who are less familiar with online resources.

“Pastors can shepherd their participants without having to be the content deliverer, but by helping people foster their own spiritual and religious lives,” Mikoski said.