State of Discipleship Insights Report Equips Leaders for Intentional Disciple Making
The church flourishes when disciples are being formed. But how do churches know if they’re effectively forming disciples?
The State of Discipleship study from Lifeway Research surveyed more than 2,600 Protestant pastors and more than 2,100 Protestant churchgoers to uncover pastors’ perceptions of discipleship and reveal the levels of discipleship among churchgoers.
In general, pastors have a vague satisfaction with the discipleship happening at their churches but no real way of determining if that is valid.
Download the free Insights Report
Download Lifeway Research’s State of Discipleship Insights Report
"*" indicates required fields
Discipleship insights for your church
Churchgoer data
Discipleship Deficit Exists Among U.S. Churchgoers
Lifeway Research studied churchgoers’ levels of discipleship by asking dozens of questions related to Christian doctrine and practice.
Signpost #1: Engaging the Bible
Fewer Than 1 in 3 Churchgoers Read the Bible Daily
Among U.S. Protestant churchgoers, most say they read Scripture regularly, but just 31% say Bible reading is a daily habit.
Signpost #2: Obeying God and denying self
Most Churchgoers Regularly Confess Sin
Most churchgoers try to avoid sin before it happens and seek to confess it afterward. For many, confession is a regular part of their faith.
Signpost #3: Serving God and others
Churchgoers Aim to Serve in and out of Church
Most churchgoers say they’re looking for ways to serve God as well as the people in their churches and communities, but many still struggle to make that a reality.
Signpost #4: Sharing Christ
Churchgoers Eager, if Not Intentional, About Sharing Their Faith
While churchgoers may be praying about ways to tell others about Jesus, many aren’t doing much to make that happen.
Signpost #5: Exercising faith
Growing Number of Churchgoers Face Doubts
Churchgoers tend to trust God’s involvement in their lives and the lives of others, but many admit doubts can creep in.
Signpost #6: Seeking God
Churchgoers Seek God in Intentional and Impromptu Ways
Most churchgoers look for time to spend with God and regularly find themselves with Him in unplanned moments.
Signpost #7: Building relationships
Churchgoers Look to Join With Others in Their Discipleship Walk
Churchgoers are getting better at building and deepening relationships within their congregations, but it’s still not a strength.
Signpost #8: Living unashamed
Spiritual Matters Missing From Many Churchgoers’ Conversations
Living unashamed is a key signpost of discipleship, but many churchgoers don’t see spiritual matters as pervasive throughout their lives.
Pastor data
Discipleship Is a Priority Without a Plan for Many Churches
Pastors have a lot of thoughts about discipleship, but they aren’t sure it’s happening in their churches. In the first part of the State of Discipleship study, U.S. Protestant pastors shared their understanding of what discipleship means and how it best occurs.
Most Churches Rarely Evaluate Their Discipleship Strategies
Most pastors are confident their churches are helping people grow as Christians. Just don’t ask them how they know that. In the second part of the State of Discipleship study, U.S. Protestant pastors describe their congregations’ discipleship approaches and reveal data behind some key spiritual growth metrics.
Few Pastors Believe Discipleship Tops Their Churches’ Efforts
Jesus told His disciples to make disciples, but for many churches, discipleship ranks toward the bottom of their priorities. The third and final part of Lifeway Research’s State of Discipleship study examining the experiences and perspectives of U.S. Protestant pastors finds that other church functions often receive more attention.
Additional data analysis
Gen Z Churchgoers Attend More but Often Lag in Application
Gen Z churchgoers frequently attend church on Sunday, but their faith often fails to shape their lives during the week.
Men and Women Have Unique Discipleship Strengths, Weaknesses
In general, women have higher discipleship scores than men, according to analysis from Lifeway Research’s State of Discipleship study.
Small Group Participation Linked to Higher Discipleship Scores
U.S. Protestant churchgoers who regularly attend a small group Bible study, such as Sunday School, have the highest discipleship scores.
Smallest, Largest Churches See Strongest Discipleship Scores
The size and location of a church may reveal more than we realize about the discipleship of its churchgoers.
State of Discipleship webinars:
For more information, view the complete reports:
- Churchgoers’ discipleship deficit
- Churchgoers Bible reading
- Churchgoers obeying God and denying self
- Churchgoers serving God and others
- Churchgoers sharing their faith
- Churchgoers excercising faith
- Churchgoers seeking God
- Churchgoers living unashamed
- Pastors’ discipleship priority and plan
- Pastors’ discipleship strategy evaluation
- Pastors’ discipleship efforts ranking
Healthy churches have an intentional plan for making disciples.
DisciplesPath is a free framework designed to help you clarify and strengthen disciple making efforts in your church.
