New Poll: What Do Churchgoers Believe And Does It Align With The Bible?

Earlier this week, Pew Research released the results of a poll indicating that nearly a third of U.S. adults believe religion's influence is growing in America. A Wall Street Journal report echoed that trend, explaining that 2.4 million Bibles were sold in September, a 36% increase compared to the same month last year, just as a Barna Group study found that Gen Z and millennials are driving a resurgence in church attendance.

But this raises the question: what do churchgoers believe, and does it align with the Bible? On October 13, Family Research Council's Center for Biblical Worldview (CBW), in partnership with the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, released the findings of a national report titled "Social Issues and Worldview." The report provides insight into the theological, cultural, and political beliefs of America's churchgoers and indicates areas of teaching that pastors and disciple-makers can prioritize to reverse the decline in biblical beliefs.

Encouragingly, 84% of regular churchgoers believe that "every person is made in the likeness of God," 83% believe "every human being has undeniable value and dignity," and 75% believe "the God of the Bible is the only author of life."

However, there were some stunning revelations concerning abortion. Whereas 63% of churchgoers identified as "pro-life" in 2023, only 45% now identify as pro-life. Meanwhile, "pro-choice" identification rose 13 points (22% in 2023 to 35% in 2025).

Similar to two years ago, there was little consensus about what the Bible teaches regarding abortion: 26% said never acceptable, 19% said acceptable if the mother's life is endangered, 12% said acceptable if the child will be born with significant physical or mental challenges, and 4% said acceptable under any circumstance. Fourteen percent insisted, "none of these," and another 16% admitted they did not know what the Bible teaches on the topic.

Fifty-four percent said the Bible indicates when human life begins, 24% said it does not, and 22% said they did not know. Among those who believe the Bible defines when life begins, 40% said it begins when the female egg is fertilized, 10% said the point at which the child has been delivered and begins breathing, and 9% said the Bible is not specific on the matter (after having just said that the Bible indicates when human life begins), and 7% said they did not know.

Ironically, despite the pervasive confusion evidenced by these responses, only 25% wanted more teaching from their church on the topic of abortion, compared to 31% in 2023.

Seventy-nine percent of regular churchgoers believe that there "are only two genders -- male and female." Only 13% disagreed, and 8% were unsure.

Sixty-eight percent expressed support for defining a "legitimate marriage" as "only between one man and one woman." A decade after the Obergefell decision that imposed same-sex marriage on the country, 23% of churchgoers rejected the orthodox view of marriage, and 10% were unsure.

Although a majority of churchgoers agreed with the biblical teaching on marriage, there were a variety of ideas about what constitutes a family. Forty-six percent defined family as "people united by God's design -- a man and a woman married to each other, plus their children and relatives." Twenty-two percent claimed that the definition of family "changes over time and across cultures," while 20% suggested that family is any group of people who care for each other.

Seventy percent of churchgoers indicated "it is important for society to facilitate families that have a father, a mother, and children living together."

Eighty-three percent agreed that people should be allowed to practice "peaceful, genuinely held religious beliefs without being punished by the government." Only 8% rejected this principle.

Respondents indicated a desire for "additional worldview education" from their church on five topics: religious freedom (88%), social and political responsibility (76%), human sexuality (64%), abortion and the value of life (60%), and euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (54%). These findings indicate that most churchgoers would appreciate their pastor addressing these issues in the course of the church's teaching ministry.

Regular churchgoers overwhelmingly supported the Jewish state of Israel. Eighty-four percent said consistent prayer for Israel is "very or somewhat important," 74% believe personal verbal support is important, 73% say that it is important for the U.S. government to support Israel, and 68% believe Christians should provide personal financial support.

The 2025 CBW report paints a picture that is both encouraging and concerning regarding the beliefs of America's regular churchgoers. Although overwhelming majorities of churchgoers expressed biblical convictions about human dignity, that commitment is not held consistently. As demonstrated by the lagging pro-life findings, churches still have much work to do in teaching a pro-life ethic and applying it to issues like abortion and euthanasia. 

Although churchgoers hold conflicting views on the definition of family, it is nonetheless encouraging that most churchgoers still believe in a biblical definition of marriage. Additionally, it is encouraging that strong majorities of churchgoers desire additional worldview training from their church.

In short, while research like the 2025 CBW report can sometimes be used to criticize pastors and teachers, the most helpful approach is to view it as an opportunity to strengthen discipleship. Now that we know where theological and worldview weaknesses exist among our people, we can intentionally design sermons, lessons, and discipleship resources that address those gaps. Rather than dwelling on the discouraging aspects of the report, we should see even its most troubling findings as opportunities to shepherd believers toward greater biblical faithfulness and maturity.

Originally published at The Washington Stand