New research reveals a significant correlation between church attendance frequency and adherence to core biblical teachings, with regular attendees demonstrating stronger theological conviction.



Churchgoers who attend weekly are less likely to embrace unbiblical teachings than those who attend just once or twice a month, according to a new Lifeway Research study.

The report, based on an analysis of the State of Theology study and a survey of American Protestant churchgoers, found that 61 percent of frequent churchgoers strongly disagreed with the unbiblical statement that “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God,” compared to 37 percent of infrequent attendees. On whether God is unchanging, 87 percent of frequent churchgoers strongly agreed, versus 69 percent of infrequent attendees. And when asked if the biblical accounts of the bodily resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate, 85 percent of frequent churchgoers strongly agreed – compared to just 64 percent of infrequent churchgoers.

The report surveyed Protestants on a range of questions – including ethical topics and additional theological issues – and found that, on most, infrequent churchgoers were far more likely to fall outside traditional orthodoxy. For the report, “infrequent churchgoers” were defined as attending once or twice a month, while frequent churchgoers attend about once a week or more.

“It has become popular in some circles to downplay the importance of church attendance either because another measure may be more predictive of spiritual growth or because, for too long, it was one of the only spiritual metrics,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.

“Local congregations are called to disciple the believers God has given them. This analysis comparing frequent and infrequent church attendees shows church attendance can lead to greater discipleship and is worth encouraging.”

The report also found that:

– 76 percent of frequent churchgoers but 52 percent of infrequent churchgoers strongly agreed that “the Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.”

– 68 percent of regular churchgoers strongly agreed that “sex outside of traditional marriage is a sin,” while only 42 percent of infrequent churchgoers did.

– 84 percent of frequent churchgoers but 68 percent of infrequent churchgoers affirmed the statement that “God created marriage to be between one man and one woman.”

“This relationship between lack of attendance and theological positions should sound an alarm among church leaders and dedicated Christians,” said Daniel Price, statistician at Lifeway Research. “Increasing attendance alone will not guarantee an improvement in the acceptance of Christian theological positions. Yet Christians should be continually reaching out to those who are infrequent attendees in the hopes of increasing their theological knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.”

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