Christianity in America: The Present State and What to Expect in the Future

Is Christianity in America growing? Or is it declining? Here, we look at its present state and what we can expect from Christianity in the future.

The state of Christianity across the world is everchanging. But what is the state of Christianity in America like? Let’s take a look at the present state of Christianity and what we can expect for the future of this religion.

Keep reading to learn if Christianity is growing or declining in America.

The Current State of Christianity in America

It may come to a shock to you, but actually, the start of 2019 showed that the world as a whole was becoming more, not less religious. There is faith in various traditions which is growing with the expanding population of the global south.

Last year there were about 50 million more Christians in Africa. In total Africa has 631 million Christians, which is the most out of any continent in the world.

Now let’s look at the United States, where there seems to be a decline with religion as secularism, the separation from the church and state grows.

There is also a large percentage of “nones,” who are those that claim no religious affiliation. We’re seeing this a lot with millennials. But let’s take a closer look, at the religious state of America.

We are seeing that white American congregations are declining. From 1991 to 2014 the number of Protestants decreased by the third, and this will continue as time goes on.

More than half of American congregations have less than 100 members. Because of this, hundreds of churches will close this year.

We are seeing growth in American Christian denominations, that are mostly non-white. These denominations are Catholic, Evangelical, Protestant or Mainline.

Over the past half of the century, there has been a growth in Catholicism of 71 percent. We’re seeing this increase more in the Hispanic community.

The Assemblies of God is one of the few growing American denominations. Here we’re seeing white membership is slightly declining, while nonwhite membership grew 43 percent over the past ten years.

How Christians Identify Themselves

Not only is Christianity changing in America, but we’re also seeing a movement in religious identification. This shift could lead to three ramifications.

First, we can see Christians losing what some call a home-field advantage. No longer will Christianity be the first choice of those seeking a spiritual purpose. Now identifying as Christian isn’t a crucial part of being accepted into society.

Also, it now makes less sense for one to be a cultural Christian. It’s better for one to identify as “spiritual” instead “religious.” If you call yourself religious, it’s implied that your religion means a lot to you, like you are a devout Protestant or Roman Catholics.

When actually Christianity isn’t collapsing, it’s simply being clarified. If you cut through all the recent religious hype and take a look at the General Social Survey, you’ll see there are actually vibrant believers in America.

In this survey, we see there is an Evangelical movement which has stayed steady from 1972 to 2010. And while church attendance is declining among mainline Protestants, church attendance from the  “nones” is increasing.

Each year, Gallup asks Americans if they identify as Evangelical or Born-Again  Christian. Since 1992, this percentage has gone from 36 percent in 1992 to 47 percent in 1998.

It’s believed if this continues, Christianity won’t be extinct in America but will look more like the Pacific Northwest. Where most of the population identify as spiritual but not religious, but there are still devout Christians and vibrant churches.

What Is “Post-Christian?”

Another trend we’re seeing with Christianity in America is a Post-Christian movement. Post-Christianity is popular in the Western world, where Christianity used to flourish, but now we’re seeing more alternative worldviews like nationalism secularism.

Post-Christianity might not believe in God and could disagree that faith is important in their lives. While others may not have made a commitment to Jesus, are not born again, and don’t believe the Bible is accurate.

They might see Christianity sole through the eyes of religious conservatives instead of seeing all interpretations of Christianity.  There are others who might identify as Christian because they see it as Christ making a commitment to them during their baptism.

While others may not have an adult connection to Christianity as they see the bible as accurate theologically but not literally inerrant.

What the Numbers Tell Us 

So what are these numbers on the state of Christianity in America telling us? Well for starters, we’re seeing that the Church’s influence on Americans is fading. There is a growing number of Americans who are giving up on God and organized religion. We’re seeing more and more Nones.

According to a 2007 Religious Landscape study, out of the 35,000 people surveyed, sixteen percent had no religious affiliation. By 2015, that sixteen percent increased to twenty-three percent, which is almost one in every four Americans.

According to Gallup, we’re seeing more on the rise of Nones. In 1967, two percent of Americans, or one out of every fifty people claimed to have no religious preference. But in 2014, that number grew to sixteen percent or one in every seven people.

There also is a decline in the amount of Americans who call themselves Christians. In 2007 it was found that about eight in every ten Americans called themselves Christian. But in 2014 that number dropped to seven out of every ten Americans. It also was found that less than half Americans or 46.5 percent identify as Protestants for the first time in American history.

These numbers show a consistent increase in Americans who are disconnected from faith. Essentially American religion is growing and declining at the same time.

There aren’t any numbers showing that Christianity is dying as quickly as headlines might imply. But, we’re also seeing fewer people who claim to be Christians as churchgoers that regularly attend service.

Spread the Word

Now that you know about the present and future Christianity in America, tell others. While Christianity isn’t dying as the news might imply, the numbers are declining. In these trying times, we can use faith more than ever.

Invite your skeptical friend to church with you next time. That small gesture could make a difference in not only their lives but in the state of Christianity.

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Melissa Thompson

I’m a single mother of 2 living in Utah writing about startups, business, marketing, entrepreneurship, and health. I also write for Inc, Score, Manta, and Newsblaze

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