CHRISTIAN
CONDUCT ON UPSWING

Topics: Behavior; Believers; Church Attendance; Devotional Life; Faith and Works; Good Deeds; Habits; Ministry; Prayer; Spiritual Disciplines; Spiritual Growth; Witnessing

References: Acts 2:42–47; 1 Timothy 4:7–16

A significant increase can be seen in five of the seven core religious behaviors that the Barna Group has studied over the past decade.

•     In 1995, 31 percent of Americans read their Bibles at least once a week outside of a church setting; in 2006, that number jumped to 47 percent.

•     In 1996, 37 percent of Americans attended church in a typical week; that number jumped to 47 percent in 2006.

•     In 1996, 17 percent of Americans attended a small group outside of Sunday school or Christian education classes; in 2006, 23 percent attended.

•     Church volunteerism hit a low of 20 percent in the mid-nineties; in 2006, 27 percent of Americans volunteered in a church setting.

•     Sunday school attendance hit a low of 17 percent in 1995 and 1996; it climbed back to 24 percent in 2006.

Somewhat surprisingly, the only two religious behaviors that did not reflect significant change were prayer and evangelism. The number of Americans claiming to have prayed within the last week remained steady—around 84 percent in the period between 1993 and 2006. Similarly, the percentage of born-again Christians who claim to have shared their faith with a nonbeliever remained at about 60 percent in the decade between 1996 and 2006.

—“The Barna Update,” barna.org (April 3, 2006)