Gen Z and Millennials Reveal What’s Drawing Them Back to Church
As the next two generations of young adults make their decisions about church attendance and spiritual growth, a Barna poll has found that, in general, 34 percent of Gen Z and Millennials are attending church more often than they did a year ago. About 45 percent say their attendance is unchanged, and 21 percent say they attend less often.
Of those numbers, Black and Hispanic young adults (41 percent and 36 percent) are the most likely to say they’re attending a house of worship more frequently. The top reasons many of them attend church, when it comes to spirituality, are prayer (45 percent), which is closely followed by a desire to worship Jesus with others (38 percent).
Social Reasons Many Young Adults are Attending Church
As for the social reasons, Barna reports two primary reasons young adults attend church: to have a deeper relationship with other Christians (24 percent) and to learn from others who have gone through experiences similar to those they are facing (also 24 percent).
“There’s no single social reason for why this generation attends church,” said Daniel Copeland, Barna’s vice president of research. “But the data show young adults want deep, high-quality relationships—a place to share what they’re going through and learn from others. The church is one of the few places for this kind of social connection.”
What Young Women and Men are Looking for in a Church Community
Looking at this from the perspective of young women versus young men, young women are more likely to attend for the purpose of being part of a community that cultivates learning from others’ similar experiences and because of a desire to have deeper relationships with other Christians. Young men tend to want to be in a community where they can share personal experiences with others.
One recent movie that powerfully portrays how being connected to a community of like-faith believers can bolster a person’s faith is "Daniel and the Fiery Furnace." Daniel and his friends were determined to stick together as best as they were able in their Babylon captivity, and also made an agreement with one another to hold tightly to God and trust Him in a culture that was extremely hostile to their belief system. The movie hit the theaters in September. Additionally, legendary Christian singer-songwriter Michael W. Smith served as an executive producer on the film.
The film was written, directed and produced by Daniel and Matthew Kooman, brothers who hail from Canada and who know a little something about being in a culture that’s becoming hostile to the Christian belief system. Their production studio was established in 2005, and they launched Unveil TV in 2022, according to their website. They also have several movies and documentaries hosted on their website. One documentary in particular explains the pitfalls of a socialist healthcare system and what’s happening with Canada’s MAiD system.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Maskot
Originally published September 30, 2026.
