Survey: Half of Churchgoers Say Their Lives Aren't Affected by Time in Pews

January 16, 2012

A new survey shows that almost half of churchgoing Americans say their time spent at church has not caused any changes in their lives, the Religion News Service reports. Barna Group, an evangelical company based in California, found that 46 percent reported no change from attending church. About 25 percent said their lives were greatly affected by church attendance and another 25 percent said it was somewhat influential. Two-thirds of respondents said they had felt "a real and personal connection" with God while at church. Among weekly church attendees, 44 percent said they felt God's presence every week and 18 percent said they had that experience once a month. Additionally, three out of five church attendees said they did not walk away from their last church visit with any significant new understandings or insights.