Is Gen Z on Fire for Jesus? A New Lifeway Survey Reveals a Surprising Picture

By Pastor Duke Taber Jun 25, 2026 0CategoryChristianityTag - News

By Pastor Duke Taber

In This Article

For years we have been told that young people are abandoning the church in droves. The headlines wrote the obituary long ago: Generation Z is the most secular, most skeptical, least religious cohort in American history. But a major new study from Lifeway Research complicates that tidy narrative in a remarkable way. It turns out the young people who are in church are showing up more often, serving more readily, and sharing their faith more boldly than any other generation.

And yet the same study sounds a sober warning. Beneath all that activity lies a generation wrestling with deep doubts and shaky theological foundations. The picture is neither the despair of the obituary writers nor the triumph of the optimists. It is something more honest, and far more useful, for anyone who loves the next generation.

Key Takeaways

Lifeway Research’s State of Discipleship found the average Gen Z churchgoer attends 6.2 worship services a month, outpacing every other generation
Gen Z also leads in small group attendance, serving, and sharing their faith with others
Despite high participation, Gen Z scores lowest of all generations in exercising faith and living unashamed
Forty-two percent of Gen Z churchgoers believe Jesus was a sinner just like us, and many doubt core doctrines
Researchers say the issue is not that Gen Z is disconnected, but that they are deeply involved yet not deeply formed

The Encouraging News: A Generation That Shows Up

Let’s begin where the data genuinely encourages us, because there is real reason for hope here. According to Lifeway Research, the average Gen Z churchgoer attends a worship service 6.2 times a month, compared to 4.8 for millennials, 5.1 for Gen X, and 4.5 for baby boomers and older [1]. While the typical churchgoer in every generation attends about four times monthly, a notable portion of young adults are attending at much higher rates, pulling that average up [1].

The pattern holds well beyond Sunday services. Gen Z attends small groups more routinely than any other generation, averaging five times per month, compared to 3.7 for millennials, 2.7 for Gen X, and 2.5 for boomers and older [2]. More than a third, 36 percent, report having regular responsibilities at their church [2].

This is a generation rolling up its sleeves. In the past six months, Gen Z churchgoers were among the most likely to have served someone who could not repay them, memorized a Bible verse, fed the hungry, visited the sick, fasted, and invited an unchurched person to church [3]. Twenty-two percent study the Bible daily, a higher share than millennials, Gen X, or boomers [1]. They are also the most likely generation to share their personal faith story with others [3].

If you have written off this generation, the data says it is time to reconsider. Their hunger is real, and it reflects the kind of expectant faith we see throughout Scripture, the sort our study on examples of spiritual awakening in the Bible traces across God’s people.

The Sobering News: Activity Without Depth

Here is where the study turns honest, and where every pastor and parent needs to pay close attention. For all their visible engagement, Gen Z churchgoers scored lowest of any generation on Lifeway’s overall discipleship measure, at 65.6 out of 100, and they significantly trail every other generation in two crucial areas: exercising faith and living unashamed [1].

The research used eight signposts to measure spiritual maturity, and Gen Z scored just 51.4 in the exercising faith category, lower than any other generation [1]. Behind that number are some startling admissions. Nearly half of Gen Z churchgoers, 47 percent, say they typically doubt God is involved when something happens they cannot explain [1]. Forty-six percent admit that in difficult circumstances they sometimes doubt God loves them and will provide for them [1]. And 45 percent doubt God can change the lives of the non-Christians they know [1].

Most troubling of all, this doubt drives them into silence. Gen Z churchgoers are by far the most likely to say they hesitate to share their own doubts and struggles even with Christian friends, at 53 percent [1]. They are present, but they are privately wrestling, and often alone.

As Lifeway’s Scott McConnell put it, while young churchgoers have strong participation, they also carry high levels of doubt about God, and leaders can easily mistake their presence for full surrender when their hearts may still be deciding [1]. Doubt itself is not the enemy. Scripture honors the honest cry of the father who said “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” But doubt left unspoken and unaddressed festers. Our study on how doubt affects your prayer life and what to do about it speaks directly to where many in this generation are living.

The Theological Gap That Should Concern Us

The doubts are not only emotional. They run down to the foundations of the faith, and this is where the study should sober every one of us.

According to Lifeway, Gen Z churchgoers are the most likely of any generation to believe that Jesus was a sinner just like us, at 42 percent [1]. They are also among the least likely to affirm that there is one true God who exists in three Persons, at 79 percent, that Jesus died on the cross and was physically resurrected, at 75 percent, and that the Holy Spirit is at work in every believer, at 74 percent [1].

These are not secondary matters. They are the load-bearing walls of the Christian faith. A Jesus who was merely a good but sinful man cannot save anyone. The sinlessness of Christ is not a theological footnote, it is the very ground of our salvation.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
— 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)

As Lifeway’s Chuck Peters bluntly observed, this generation has a genuine interest in the things of God, but they too often come into the church, and leave it, biblically illiterate [1]. That is not an indictment of the young people. It is a challenge to all of us who teach. To understand why the deity and sinlessness of Christ matter so deeply, our article on the divinity of Christ and the proofs in the Gospels lays out the biblical case plainly.

Not Disconnected, But Undiscipled

The single most important sentence in the entire study may be this assessment from Chuck Peters: his biggest concern for Gen Z is not that they are disconnected from the church, because the research shows they are deeply involved. The greater concern is that they are not being deeply formed [1].

Sit with that for a moment. This is not a generation that needs to be coaxed through the doors. They are already inside, attending, serving, and inviting their friends. What they need is not more programming or more entertainment. They need to be discipled. They need the foundations of the faith laid carefully and the doctrines of Scripture taught with conviction and clarity.

The early church model was never attendance for its own sake. It was wholehearted formation in the apostles’ teaching.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
— Acts 2:42 (NKJV)

This is precisely why discipleship cannot be left to chance. Our overview of what discipleship looks like today and our reflection on why consistent Bible study is key to spiritual growth both speak to the kind of deep formation this generation is hungry for, even when they cannot name it.

The Opportunity Before the Church

There is a striking encouragement buried in the data that older believers should not miss. Seven in ten Gen Z churchgoers, 71 percent, say they intentionally spend time with other believers to grow in their faith, compared to just 46 percent of boomers [1]. A majority, 56 percent, say they have been discipled one-on-one by a more mature Christian, and 53 percent say they have discipled someone else the same way [1].

In other words, this generation wants mentoring. They are leaning toward relationship. And that is exactly where the older saints in our churches can step in. Chad Higgins of Lifeway framed it as an opportunity, praying that believers would not fall into the cultural trap of generational finger-pointing but would instead lean in and build meaningful relationships with this younger generation [1].

This is the biblical pattern of one generation pouring into the next.

One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.
— Psalm 145:4 (NKJV)

Peters said it well: the church needs to reach Gen Z in relationship, lead them to discover their new identity in Christ, and teach them the foundational doctrines of the faith through trustworthy teaching and deep discipleship [1]. That cannot happen in isolation, he noted. It happens in the context of connection. For practical help, our guide on the power of studying the Bible with friends or family offers a starting point for exactly this kind of relational discipleship.

How to Respond

This study is not a reason for despair, nor for naive celebration. It is a call to action, and there is something here for everyone in the body of Christ.

For pastors and church leaders:

Resist the assumption that present and active means fully formed, and prioritize deep doctrinal teaching
Create safe spaces where young believers can voice their doubts without shame
Build intentional, relational discipleship pathways rather than relying on programming alone

For older believers:

Recognize that Gen Z wants mentoring, and make yourself available
Refuse generational finger-pointing and instead lean into relationship
Pass on the faith by sharing both sound doctrine and your own testimony

For Gen Z believers themselves:

Bring your doubts into the light rather than carrying them alone
Pursue not just attendance but formation, anchoring your faith in Scripture
Seek out a more mature believer who can disciple you

Conclusion: Fanning the Flame Into a Lasting Fire

So is Gen Z on fire for Jesus? The honest answer is that the embers are glowing, and there is real heat there. This generation is showing up, serving, and sharing their faith in ways that should genuinely encourage us. But fire without fuel burns out, and the fuel this generation needs is deep, trustworthy, biblical formation.

The church does not need to win Gen Z back. They are already here. What they need is for us to disciple them, to lay the foundations carefully, and to walk alongside them as they move from doubt to settled, joyful confidence in Christ. That is a task worthy of our very best effort.

Here are three next steps to take today:

Invest in one young believer. Offer to disciple someone in the next generation, meeting regularly to study Scripture and share life.
Teach the foundations. Whether you lead a class, a family, or a small group, commit to teaching the core doctrines of the faith clearly.
Make room for honest doubt. Create space in your relationships and your church for young people to ask hard questions and find solid answers.

The embers are glowing. With faithful discipleship, they can become a fire that lasts a lifetime.

Sources

[1] Gen Z Churchgoers Attend More but Often Lag in Application – Lifeway Research – https://research.lifeway.com/2026/06/23/gen-z-churchgoers-attend-more-but-often-lag-in-application/

[2] Is Gen Z on Fire for Jesus? New Survey Offers Fascinating Insights – Charisma Magazine Online – https://mycharisma.com/culture/is-gen-z-on-fire-for-jesus-new-survey-offers-fascinating-insights/

[3] Is Gen Z on Fire for Jesus? New Survey Offers Fascinating Insights – Faithwire – https://www.faithwire.com/2026/06/24/is-gen-z-on-fire-for-jesus-new-survey-offers-fascinating-insights/

[4] Gen Z Churchgoers Attend More but Often Lag in Application, Lifeway Research Shows – Baptist Press – https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/gen-z-churchgoers-attend-more-but-often-lag-in-application-lifeway-research-shows/

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