Revitalizing Faith: The Call to Transform the American Church

The American church stands at a pivotal crossroads in an era marked by shifting religious landscapes. Recent data from Ed Stetzer's comprehensive growing research revealed at Exponential with Barna, and Gloo reveals both challenging trends and unexpected opportunities that demand our attention. As Christian identity continues its decades-long decline across the nation, a surprising new pattern emerges—a potential plateau in religious disengagement that offers a critical moment for renewal and multiplication.

The Reality We Face

The statistics paint a sobering picture. As Stetzer explains, "Christian identity is on the decline. You can actually see the way people identify in 2009 as Christian, it was substantially higher than it was in 2024." This decline extends beyond mere identity—weekly church attendance has steadily decreased, and the importance of religious faith has diminished even among those who still call themselves Christians.

Perhaps most striking is what Stetzer calls "the biggest story of religion in the last 30 years"—the dramatic rise of religious "nones," those who claim no religious affiliation whatsoever. This trend has reshaped America's religious landscape, spreading from coastal urban centers to heartland communities once considered bastions of faith.

The generational shifts are particularly noteworthy. For the first time in recorded history, Gen Z men are attending church at higher rates than Gen Z women—not just because more young men are coming to church, but because unprecedented numbers of young women are leaving. As Stetzer observes, "The biggest group of Gen Zers disconnected are Gen Z women."

The Unexpected Opportunity

Yet amid these concerning trends, something unexpected has emerged since 2020. Stetzer describes it as "the meteor called 2020"—a disruption to the steady decline of religious engagement that has sent religious trends "five different directions at the same time."

These disruptions include surprising developments:

• Gen Z men re-engaging with church
• Gen Z teens showing greater spiritual openness than in recent memory
• A plateau in the previously relentless growth of religious "nones"
• A significant increase in Bible sales (22% according to the Wall Street Journal)
• Rising spiritual hunger, especially among younger generations

"I'm more open to God today than I was before the pandemic," report 34% of Boomers and nearly twice that percentage among Gen Z. As Stetzer emphasizes, "Something is going on, and I don't want us to miss it."

The Gap Between Opportunity and Action

Despite these encouraging signs of spiritual openness, church planting efforts have not yet risen to meet the moment. "Church Planting activity is not yet aligned with church planting opportunity," Stetzer notes. The latest research shows only about 7% of churches are at a "reproducing" level, with virtually none reaching the highest "multiplying" level of growth.

This disconnect between spiritual hunger and church multiplication represents both a challenge and an opportunity. As Stetzer passionately argues, "Revival is almost always accompanied by church planting multiplication. I'm convinced there's no hope for revival without a heart for church planting."

Five Challenges for Revitalization

To seize this pivotal moment and move toward greater Gospel impact, here are five essential challenges for today's church:

1. Acknowledge Reality with Brutal Honesty

As Stetzer reminds us, "Facts are our friends in missiology." We cannot effectively address challenges we refuse to see. The first step toward revitalization is embracing the uncomfortable statistics about declining participation, particularly among younger generations and women. Only by acknowledging where we truly stand can we formulate appropriate responses.

Challenge: Conduct an honest assessment of your church's current reality. Measure not just attendance numbers but engagement levels across demographic groups, with special attention to reaching young women who represent the fastest-growing segment of religious disengagement.

2. Respond to Increased Spiritual Openness

The data reveals unprecedented spiritual hunger, particularly among younger Americans. "Gen Z teens are more spiritually open today than any time that we've seen in our data," Stetzer notes. Yet many churches continue with approaches that fail to connect with this hunger.

Challenge: Develop intentional strategies to engage spiritual seekers. Create environments and opportunities specifically designed for spiritual exploration, emphasizing authenticity over polished performances. Consider how your church might serve as a spiritual resource center for your community, not just a worship destination.

3. Prioritize Multiplication Over Maintenance

Research consistently shows that "church planting is the best evangelistic investment of energy." Yet many congregations remain focused on maintaining existing programs rather than reproducing their ministry.

Challenge: Shift resources toward multiplication. Move beyond "NASCAR patch" approaches where multiple organizations claim credit for the same church plants without taking true responsibility. Instead, develop a concrete plan to dedicate at least 10% of your church's budget and leadership capacity toward starting new congregations or ministry sites within the next three years.

4. Address the Gender Engagement Gap

The unprecedented exodus of young women from churches demands urgent attention. This shift represents not just a statistical anomaly but a profound challenge to the future of faith communities.

Challenge: Examine how your church engages, empowers, and elevates women in ministry. Conduct listening sessions with young women to understand their spiritual needs and perspectives. Ensure female voices are represented in leadership and create mentorship pathways between generations of women in your congregation.

5. Move From Good to Great to Greater

Stetzer challenges churches to progress beyond mere survival or modest growth: "I want you to hear this, right? The non-sacrificing version of church planting sponsorship won't get us to a movement." Incremental improvements will not address the scope of current challenges.

Challenge: Identify one area where your church has settled for "good enough" and commit to excellence. Whether in worship, discipleship, community engagement, or leadership development, create a concrete action plan to move from acceptable to exceptional in at least one ministry area within the next year.

The Call to Greater Impact

The data reveals a unique moment in American religious history—a time when decades of decline appear to give way to new spiritual engagement patterns. This represents a critical window of opportunity that churches must not miss.

"A wide door for effective ministry is open for me, yet many adversaries," Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 16:9. Today's church faces a similar reality—extraordinary opportunity alongside significant challenges. The question is whether we will recognize and respond to this moment with the courage and conviction it demands.

As Stetzer concludes, "We weren't meant to be tending the grave, you've called us to something good, something great and something greater." The future of American Christianity may well depend on how we answer this call to move beyond maintenance toward multiplication, beyond survival toward significance, and beyond comfortable ministry toward courageous mission.

The opportunity stands before us. The data shows spiritual hunger among a generation often dismissed as disinterested. The greatest revitalization need is now—and it starts with each of us who claim Christianity as our faith embracing the difficult but essential work of transformation.

Will we seize this moment to move from good to great to greater? The future of the American church hangs in the balance.