Statistics on Christianity in America

The State of Our Faith: A Believer’s Guide to Christianity in America Today

In a world filled with headlines and social media feeds, it can often feel like the story of Christianity in America is one of relentless decline. We hear the numbers, we see the trends, and a sense of discouragement can easily take root in our hearts. It is natural to feel concern for the future of the faith we hold so dear. But as people of faith, we are called to walk not by sight alone, but by the promises of a God who is sovereign over all seasons and statistics.

This report is offered not as a scorecard of success or failure, but as a map of the current spiritual landscape. It is an honest look at the numbers, drawn from the diligent work of trusted research organizations like the Pew Research Center, PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute), and the Barna Group.¹ By understanding where we are—the challenges, the shifts, the surprising pockets of resilience—we can better discern where God is calling us to be faithful.

Although the data reveals major changes and deep challenges for the American it also uncovers areas of enduring faith, a powerful spiritual hunger in our culture, and incredible opportunities for the Body of Christ to be a beacon of hope. Let us, therefore, explore this landscape with courage and honesty, always through the lens of God’s unchanging promise that He will build His Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.⁴

What Do the Numbers Say About the State of Christianity in America?

To faithfully navigate the path ahead, we must first have a clear-eyed view of where we stand. The statistics on religion in America paint a picture of a nation in the midst of a historic transformation, moving from a society where Christianity was the assumed cultural default to one where it is an increasingly intentional choice.

The Big Picture: A Shifting Majority

The most prominent trend over the last several decades is the decline in the percentage of Americans who identify as Christian. In 2023 and 2024, studies from the Pew Research Center and PRRI found that between 62% and 65% of U.S. Adults describe themselves as Christians.² While this is still a clear majority, it represents a major drop from just a generation ago. In 2007, 78% of Americans identified as Christian, and in the mid-20th century, that figure was over 90%.⁶

But the story is more nuanced than just a simple decline. Recent data suggests that this downward trend, after years of rapid descent, has slowed and may have leveled off, at least for now. Since 2019, the share of Christians in the population has remained relatively stable, hovering in the low-to-mid 60s.¹ This offers a crucial counter-narrative to the idea of an unstoppable freefall, suggesting a new, more settled spiritual landscape may be emerging.

At the same time, the most dramatic growth has been among those who claim no religious affiliation. Known as the “religiously unaffiliated” or the “Nones,” this group consists of people who describe their religious identity as atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular”.⁵ Today, they make up around 29% of the U.S. Population, a stunning increase from 17% in 2009 and a mere 6% in 1991.⁵ For context, other faiths like Judaism (2%), Islam (1%), Buddhism (1%), and Hinduism (1%) collectively make up about 7% of the population.¹

Beyond Affiliation: Spiritual Vitality

Looking beyond simple labels of affiliation, the data reveals a nation that remains deeply spiritual. While fewer people wear the “Christian” label, many core spiritual beliefs and practices persist.

• Prayer: 44% of American adults say they pray at least once a day.¹
• Worship Attendance: One-third (33%) report attending religious services at least once a month.¹
• Belief in God: An overwhelming majority, 83%, believe in God or a universal spirit.¹
• Belief in the Supernatural: Large majorities believe people have a soul (86%) and that there is something spiritual beyond the natural world (79%).¹

When we place these two sets of data side-by-side—the sharp decline in Christian identity versus the more modest decline in spiritual practice—a powerful story emerges. It suggests that the most major drop is not necessarily among committed believers who are actively losing their faith. Rather, we are likely witnessing the erosion of a nominal or “cultural Christianity.” For generations, identifying as Christian was a social norm, a part of the American cultural fabric. As that social pressure has evaporated, those who identified with the faith out of tradition or family background, rather than deep personal conviction, are no longer doing so.¹²

This can be seen as a great clarification. Although the overall percentage of Christians is smaller, the church that remains may be, on average, more committed and authentic. The people who are left are more likely to be there because of a genuine, life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ, not simply because it is the expected thing to do. This is not a story of failure, but one of refinement.

Which Christian Traditions Are Growing, and Which Are Fading?

The broad shifts in American Christianity become even clearer when we look at the specific movements and denominations within it. The landscape is not changing uniformly; some traditions are facing steep declines, while others are showing surprising resilience and even growth. This reveals a deeper story about how Americans’ relationship with religious institutions is changing.

A Tale of Three Protestantisms

Within Protestantism, which remains the largest branch of Christianity in the U.S. At 40% of the population, the fates of its three major strands have diverged significantly.⁷

• Mainline Protestantism’s Steep Decline: This group has experienced the most dramatic losses. Comprising denominations like the United Methodist Church (UMC), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Mainline Protestants have shrunk from 18% of the population in 2007 to just 11% today.¹ The UMC, in particular, has been roiled by a recent schism over theological issues, contributing to its decline from 5% of U.S. Adults in 2007 to under 3% now.¹
• Evangelical Protestantism’s Modest Decline: While still the largest Protestant group, evangelicals have also seen their share of the population decrease, from 26% in 2007 to 23% in 2024.¹
• Historically Black Protestantism’s Stability: Churches within the historically Black Protestant tradition have remained relatively stable, moving from 7% of the population in 2007 to 5% today, a much smaller decline than their white counterparts.¹

The Rise of the Non-Denominationals

The most major area of growth within American Protestantism has been among non-denominational churches. These churches, which are not formally tied to a historic denomination, now account for a substantial portion of the evangelical world. In fact, 6% of all American adults now identify with a non-denominational making this group larger than most individual denominations in the country.⁵

Catholicism: A Stable Share with a “Leaky Bucket”

On the surface, the Catholic Church’s position appears stable, holding steady at around 19% of the U.S. Population for the last decade.⁵ But this stability masks a tremendous amount of churn under the surface. The Catholic Church gains a major number of members from immigration, particularly from Latin America, which helps keep its overall numbers steady. At the same time, it suffers from what researchers call a “leaky bucket,” experiencing the greatest net losses of any religious group due to people leaving the faith in which they were raised.¹¹ This dynamic will be explored more fully later in the report.

This changing denominational map points to a powerful cultural shift. The decline of established, hierarchical denominations like the Mainline Protestants and the simultaneous rise of independent, non-denominational churches is not a coincidence. It reflects a broader societal move away from trusting large, historic institutions and toward valuing personal experience, authentic community, and individual relationships.¹⁵ People are not necessarily rejecting Jesus, but they are increasingly questioning the traditional, top-down structures that have long defined American Christianity. The guiding question for many is shifting from “What does my denomination teach?” to “How can I have a personal, authentic relationship with God in a community that feels real?” This has massive implications for how all churches, traditional and contemporary alike, must think about discipleship, worship, and community in the 21st century.

Why Are So Many Young People Walking Away from Faith?

Perhaps the most discussed and deeply felt challenge for the American church is the disaffiliation of young people. For parents, grandparents, and pastors, the question of why the next generation seems to be drifting from the church is not just a matter of statistics, but a deep, personal, and often painful concern. The data confirms that this is the primary engine driving religious change in America.

The Stark Generational Divide

The difference in religious affiliation between the oldest and youngest Americans is stark. While three-quarters of Baby Boomers (76%) and over 80% of the Silent Generation identify as Christian, only a slim majority of young adults (54% of those 18-29) say the same.² Young adults are more than twice as likely to be religiously unaffiliated (38%) as seniors aged 65 and older (18%).² This gap is not a new phenomenon, but it has widened significantly in recent decades.

The “Stickiness” Problem

Researchers point to a decline in the “stickiness” of a religious upbringing as the core of the issue.¹ In previous generations, a child raised in the church was very likely to remain in the church as an adult. Today, that connection is far less certain. The faith is simply not being passed down as effectively. The vast majority of this “religious switching” happens between the ages of 15 and 29, making these years the most critical period for a person’s lifelong faith trajectory.¹⁶

The “Why”: A Combination of Push and Pull

So why is this happening? Research points to a combination of “push factors” that drive young people away from the church and “pull factors” that draw them toward a non-religious identity.

Push Factors (Driving them away from church):

• Political Polarization: The increasingly tight association between Christianity, particularly evangelicalism, and conservative politics has alienated many younger Americans, who tend to be more politically liberal.¹² When faith is perceived as a political brand, those who don’t share the politics often reject the faith as well.
• Teachings on Sexuality: For a generation that has grown up in a culture that is broadly accepting of LGBTQ+ rights, the church’s traditional teachings on sexuality and marriage are often seen as a major stumbling block. Negative treatment of gay and lesbian people is one of the most frequently cited reasons for leaving the faith.¹²
• Perceived Hypocrisy and Scandals: High-profile moral failures of church leaders and major scandals, from financial impropriety to clergy sexual abuse, have severely damaged the credibility of the church and created a deep sense of distrust among many.¹²

Pull Factors (Drawing them toward non-religion):

• The Value of Personal Autonomy: Modern culture places a high value on individual freedom and self-discovery. For many, a non-religious life offers the appeal of constructing one’s own moral framework without the constraints of religious dogma or institutional authority.²⁰
• The Lack of Social Cost: In the past, there was a social cost to not being affiliated with a church. Today, that pressure has largely vanished. It is now more socially acceptable than ever to be non-religious, removing a powerful external incentive to stay.¹²

These statistics come to life in the stories of individuals. Consider the story of “Anna,” a composite of many who have walked away. Raised in the she grew weary of sermons that seemed more focused on political talking points than on Jesus. She saw friends who were gay treated with judgment rather than love, and it broke her heart. The stories felt controlling, and the answers to her tough questions felt hollow. For her, leaving the church was not a rejection of God, but a painful separation from an institution she felt no longer reflected His love.¹⁹

But that is not the only story. Consider “David,” who, despite all these cultural headwinds, found a vibrant faith. He stumbled into a campus ministry where his doubts were welcomed, not dismissed. He found a community that was more interested in serving the poor in their city than in winning a culture war. He saw people who lived with a quiet joy and selfless love that was deeply attractive. For him, faith was not an institution to join, but a relationship with a living Jesus that gave him a purpose bigger than himself.²² These two stories represent the great challenge and the great opportunity before the church: to become communities of such authentic love and truth that they can overcome the powerful cultural forces pushing our young people away.

What Do the Religiously Unaffiliated Actually Believe?

To effectively reach our neighbors, it is vital that we understand them. One of the biggest misunderstandings among Christians today concerns the “Nones.” The term can conjure images of hardened atheists who are hostile to all things spiritual. While that group exists, it is only a small part of a much larger and more complex picture.

Deconstructing the “None” Stereotype

The most important thing to understand about the religiously unaffiliated is that they are not a monolithic group of nonbelievers. They are defined by what they are not—affiliated with an organized religion—rather than by a shared set of beliefs. When broken down, the group looks like this 8:

• Atheists (who say there is no God): 17%
• Agnostics (who say they don’t know if there is a God): 20%
• “Nothing in Particular” (the largest group): 63%

This means that the vast majority of “Nones” are not actively denying God’s existence. In fact, most of them are better described as “churchless” rather than “faithless”.²⁴ Over two-thirds of “Nones” say they believe in God or some other higher power or spiritual force in the universe.⁸ They have simply become disconnected from religious institutions.

Core Beliefs and Values

Although their beliefs are diverse, some common themes emerge among the “Nones”:

• Rejection of External Authority: A core value for many “Nones” is the rejection of external authorities like sacred texts, creeds, or religious institutions. They believe truth and spirituality are personal and should be guided by one’s own experiences, intuition, and feelings rather than by a set of rules imposed from the outside.²⁵
• A Human-Centered Moral Framework: “Nones” overwhelmingly believe it is possible to be a good, moral person without believing in God. When asked how they determine right from wrong, they point not to divine commands, but to logic, reason, and a deep-seated desire to avoid causing harm to other people.⁸
• Mixed Views on Religion: Contrary to the stereotype of hostility, the views of “Nones” toward religion are often nuanced. Most say that religion causes problems in society, such as intolerance and superstition. But a large number also acknowledge that religion can do good by providing people with meaning and purpose and encouraging them to treat others well.⁸ In one survey, 43% said religion does more harm than good, but a nearly equal 41% said it does about equal amounts of good and harm, showing a deep ambivalence rather than outright opposition.⁸

Are They “Spiritual But Not Religious”?

This popular phrase is often used to describe the “Nones,” and there is some truth to it. About half of them consider themselves to be spiritual people, and many report feeling a deep, spiritual connection with nature.⁸ But it is a mistake to think this is unique to them. In fact, on many measures of spirituality, religiously affiliated people report the same or even higher levels of spiritual feelings and practices.⁸

When we step back and look at this entire picture, it becomes clear that the rise of the “Nones” is not simply a rise in atheism. It is the ultimate expression of the modern American emphasis on individualism. They are the religious “independents.” Just as we saw people leaving hierarchical denominations for more personalized non-denominational churches, the “Nones” represent a further step in that same direction: leaving institutional religion altogether in favor of a completely customized spirituality.

This presents a powerful challenge to the Church. The old model of ministry that says, “We’ll build the building and offer the programs, and people will come,” is no longer effective for reaching this large and growing segment of our society. The new imperative is deeply relational, not institutional. The question for the Church is no longer, “How do we get them to come to us?” but rather, “How do we, as individual followers of Jesus and as loving communities, go to them and authentically embody the love of Christ in a way that connects with people who are spiritually hungry but allergic to institutions?”

What is the Catholic Church’s Stance on This Shifting Landscape?

Within the broader story of American Christianity, the experience of the Catholic Church is unique and particularly stark. As the nation’s single largest religious denomination, its trends have a major impact on the overall landscape. Although the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) focuses its public statements on the Church’s role in society, the underlying data reveals a deep internal challenge of retaining the faithful.

The Statistical Reality: The “Greatest Net Losses”

The numbers from the Pew Research Center are sobering. Although the Catholic share of the population has been bolstered by immigration, the Church has experienced the “greatest net losses” of any group due to religious switching.¹¹

• For every one person who converts to Catholicism, an astounding 8.4 people who were raised Catholic leave the faith.¹¹
• This has created a massive demographic of former Catholics. Nearly 13% of all adults in the United States today are people who were raised Catholic but no longer identify as such.¹¹
• The overall share of Catholics in the U.S. Has fallen from 24% in 2007 to 19% in 2024.⁵
• Active participation is also a concern. Only 29% of U.S. Catholics report attending Mass on a weekly basis, a core expectation of the faith.¹¹

The USCCB’s Official Response: A Focus on Public Witness

In its official documents and statements, the USCCB tends to focus less on these internal demographic crises and more on the Church’s public mission and its engagement with the broader culture and political sphere.

• A Call to Faithful Citizenship: A central theme for the bishops is the call for Catholics to be active and engaged citizens. They teach that faith is not a private matter but must be brought into the public square to work for the common good, promote justice, and help build a “civilization of love”.²⁶ As Pope Francis teaches, the Church “cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice”.²⁷
• Defending Religious Liberty: A primary and urgent concern for the bishops is the defense of religious liberty. They see growing threats from a secularizing culture and government mandates that they believe could force Catholic institutions and individuals to violate their consciences on issues like gender ideology, the sanctity of life, and the provision of services to migrants.²⁸
• Advocacy for the Vulnerable: The bishops are a consistent voice in political debates, advocating for policies that they believe protect the most vulnerable members of society. They regularly speak out on issues like abortion, poverty, immigration, and environmental care, often criticizing legislation from both political parties that they feel fails to uphold human dignity.³⁰

A Church Fighting a Two-Front War

This focus reveals a powerful challenge for the Catholic Church in America. It is, fighting a war on two fronts. Externally, the bishops are engaged in high-stakes cultural and political battles, which they see as a non-negotiable part of their prophetic mission. Internally, however, the Church is facing a massive pastoral crisis of disaffiliation, with millions walking away from the pews.¹¹

These two fronts are deeply interconnected. The Church’s strong, and often controversial, public stances on political and social issues are frequently cited by former Catholics as a key reason for their departure.¹² This places the Church in an incredibly difficult position. Its leaders feel a divine mandate to be a public, prophetic voice, yet the very act of fulfilling that mandate in a deeply polarized society appears to contribute to the alienation of some of its own members.

The great challenge for the future of the U.S. Catholic Church is to find a way to maintain its public witness while also developing a more effective pastoral and evangelistic strategy at the local level. The hope for renewal may lie less in the corridors of power in Washington, D.C., and more in the spiritual vibrancy of individual parishes that can form authentic, loving, and compelling communities of faith.³³

How Is Faith Influencing Politics and Culture Today?

It is impossible to understand the state of Christianity in America without examining its deep and complex relationship with politics and regional culture. Faith is not just a private belief; it shapes how people vote, where they live, and how they see the world. Today, the connection between religion and politics is one of the primary forces shaping our divided nation.

The Great Political Divide

The religious gap between America’s two major political parties has become a chasm. The Republican and Democratic parties are not just different political coalitions; they are increasingly different religious coalitions.

• Republicans are far more likely to be Christian (84%) than Democrats (58%).²
• The makeup of the Christian population within each party is starkly different. An overwhelming 70% of Republicans are white Christians. In contrast, only 23% of Democrats are white Christians.²
• The Democratic party is a much more religiously diverse coalition. It is composed of a large share of Christians of color (35%) and a major bloc of religiously unaffiliated voters (34%).²

This polarization has accelerated over time. Since 2007, the share of self-described political liberals who identify as Christian has plummeted by 25 percentage points, falling from 62% to just 37%.¹ This data clearly shows that for many, political identity and religious identity are becoming increasingly intertwined.

This table powerfully illustrates the “God gap” in American politics. It quantifies the polarization that many believers feel anecdotally, explaining why faith-based issues are so central to the Republican platform and why the Democratic party is increasingly driven by secular and minority-Christian constituencies.

Regional Religious Differences

Just as faith differs by political party, it also differs dramatically by region. The United States is not one single religious culture, but a patchwork of distinct spiritual climates.

• The concept of the “Bible Belt” is very real. The Southwest (45% of residents are “very religious”) and the Southeast (43% “very religious”) are by far the most religious regions in the country.³⁵ These regions are dominated by a strong Protestant culture, and faith plays a central role in public life.
• In stark contrast are the coasts. New England (only 26% “very religious”) and the Pacific region (below 30%) are the least religious areas.³⁵ In several New England states, like Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, a majority of the population now identifies as “not religious”.³⁵
• This has practical consequences for ministry. The spiritual soil is different in different parts of the country. The Northeast, for example, has a much higher proportion of “Nominal Christians”—people who may identify as Christian due to their family background but are not actively practicing their faith. Therefore, ministry approaches that are effective in the South may need to be adapted significantly to connect with the culture of the Northeast or the West.³⁶

What Are the Deepest Spiritual Challenges We Face as Believers?

Beyond the numbers and trends, the data points to powerful spiritual challenges that lie at the heart of the American church’s current condition. These are not issues of strategy or programming, but deep-seated matters of the heart that affect our leaders, our congregations, and our public witness.

The Crisis in the Pulpit: Pastor Well-Being

While congregations worry about declining attendance, a quiet crisis is unfolding in the pulpit. The spiritual, emotional, and mental health of our pastors is under immense strain. Research from the Barna Group reveals an alarming decline in pastor well-being.³⁷

• Between 2015 and 2023, the percentage of pastors who rated their overall quality of life as “excellent” was cut in half, dropping from 42% to just 19%.³⁷
• Pastors report feeling more lonely and less respected by their communities than they did a decade ago.³⁷
• Most soberingly, a 2024 report found that nearly one in five Protestant senior pastors (18%) say they have contemplated self-harm or suicide within the past year.³⁷

The biblical call for a pastor is to care for the flock, to watch over their souls with joy.³⁷ But these statistics force us to ask a critical question: who is caring for the shepherds? This is a solemn call for every church member to actively support their leaders through prayer, by volunteering to lighten their load, by being peacemakers in the congregation, and by offering genuine friendship and encouragement.³⁷ A thriving church requires a healthy shepherd.

The Idol of the Age: Affluence and Comfort

A more subtle but perhaps more pervasive spiritual challenge for American Christians is the seductive power of our own comfort and affluence. Compared to the vast majority of Christians throughout history and around the world, we live in a time and place of unprecedented material wealth. While a blessing, this can also become a spiritual snare.³⁸

This is a challenge not of orthodoxy (right belief) but of orthopraxis (right conduct). The pursuit of the “American dream” can quietly become an idol, numbing our hearts to the urgency of the Gospel and the radical call to sacrificial love. We can become so focused on accumulating our own stuff and ensuring our own comfort that we lose sight of the eternal reality that all we have belongs to God and is to be managed for His purposes.³⁸ This comfortable, consumer-driven faith is often unattractive and unconvincing to a watching world looking for something more than what materialism can offer.

The Political Captivity of the Church: Christian Nationalism

A third powerful challenge is the danger of our faith being taken captive by a political identity. In recent years, much has been written about the rise of “Christian Nationalism,” an ideology that wrongly merges Christian identity with a specific national and political agenda.³⁹

Many Christian thinkers and leaders from across the theological spectrum see this as one of the most dangerous spiritual threats of our time. It is a form of idolatry that places loyalty to a nation or a political party on par with, or even above, loyalty to Jesus Christ.³⁹ It tempts us to use the name of God to sanctify our own political desires and to view those who disagree with us not as neighbors to be loved, but as enemies to be defeated. This distortion of the Gospel, many fear, is “killing much of the mainstream US church” by repelling outsiders and corrupting the church’s true mission from within.³⁹ It is a critical challenge to our orthodoxy, forcing us to ask whether Jesus is truly Lord of our lives, or if our faith has become a mere tool for a political tribe.

What Are the Hopeful Signs for the Future of the American Church?

After examining the challenging trends and deep spiritual struggles, it would be easy to feel discouraged about the future. The projections from researchers suggest that the numerical decline of Christianity in America is likely to continue. Yet, as people of the resurrection, hope is central to our vocabulary. Our ultimate confidence is not in demographic trends, but in the promise of Jesus Christ. And even within the data, there are glimmers of light—green shoots of renewal that point toward a hopeful future.

A Sobering but Not Hopeless Projection

It is important to be honest about the future projections. The Pew Research Center has modeled several scenarios, and in all of them, the percentage of Christians in the U.S. Continues to decline over the next 50 years. Depending on the rate at which young people continue to leave the faith, Christians could make up between 35% and 54% of the population by 2070, potentially losing their majority status as early as 2045.⁴¹

These are sobering numbers. But a projection is not a prophecy. It shows what could happen if current trends continue, but it cannot account for the surprising work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is still building His Church, and the numbers on a spreadsheet will never have the final say on the future of His Kingdom.⁴

Green Shoots of Renewal

If we look closely, we can see signs of life and hope emerging across the American landscape.

• A Hunger for Reverence and Truth: In a culture that often feels chaotic and shallow, there is a growing hunger among some, particularly the young, for a faith that is ancient, reverent, and substantive. A movement toward a “new, old Church” is gaining traction in some circles, emphasizing beautiful liturgy, rich tradition, and a bold proclamation of timeless doctrine. For those tired of the “barren fields of relativism,” this robust and historically-rooted faith is a breath of fresh air.³³
• The Power of the Local Church: As trust in large, national institutions wanes, there is a beautiful movement of God happening at the grassroots level. Pastors and laypeople are rediscovering the power of the local parish, of being a faithful presence right in their own neighborhoods. They are inhabiting their places, building deep relationships with their actual neighbors, and collaborating across old divides to seek the peace and welfare of their communities. This is where the church becomes a tangible, living expression of Christ’s body.⁴³
• A Return to the Non-Negotiables: In times of shaking, the things that are unshakable become clear. Hopeful signs are emerging from churches that are doubling down on the foundational practices of our faith: the bold and faithful preaching of the Bible, a deep commitment to fervent prayer, and a renewed passion for personal evangelism. It only takes a few people who are truly obedient to the Great Commission to spark renewal in an entire church.⁴⁴
• A More Committed Core: As cultural Christianity fades, the believers who remain are often more committed. Research has pointed to a “major rise in commitment to Jesus” and other “signs of hope,” suggesting that while the church may be getting smaller, it may also be getting stronger and more serious about discipleship.⁴⁵

Our Role in God’s Unfolding Story

The future of the American church will not be determined by a new program or a clever strategy. It will be determined by the faithfulness of God’s people. The data and the wisdom of pastors point to a clear, if challenging, path forward.

We are called to fill the relational void in our disconnected culture by becoming communities of authentic, loving, and vulnerable relationships.⁴⁶ We are called to

live selflessly, demonstrating a life devoted to the Kingdom of God that stands in stark, attractive contrast to a world devoted to the kingdom of self.⁴⁶ Above all, we are called to

hold firmly to the gospel, confident that our ultimate hope is not in our methods or our cultural relevance, but in the unchanging, life-transforming power of the good news of Jesus Christ.⁴⁷

The path ahead for the American church may be complicated and contested. It will require us to be more conservative in our theology and more countercultural in our living. But our future is certain, because it is in the hands of a God who is faithful. The Church, as one historian famously wrote, has buried every one of its undertakers.³³ May we, in our generation, live with the quiet confidence and joyful hope that comes from knowing that the Lord of the Church is with us, and He is still at work.