Findings empower ministries and churches to respond uniquely to the needs of Millennials and Gen Z
Florence, SC, June 6, 2023—ACS Technologies, a leader in church management software, market expertise, and data analysis, has released the most recent report in its groundbreaking American Beliefs Study: Religious Preferences and Practices. The latest, American Beliefs Study: Beliefs About God and Jesus in American Communities, is designed to equip churches and community leaders to effectively respond to the ever-changing trends of personal belief systems in the American landscape. With particular regard to generational variations, this study helps readers understand different age groups’ beliefs about God, Jesus, the Christian narrative, and what they’re looking for in worship.
With church participation dropping significantly in recent years, this new American Beliefs Study report identifies surprising insights into generational alignment and variation from core Christian beliefs. The report also examines beliefs across rural areas, cities, and suburbs, and compares the responses of practicing and nominal (non-practicing) Christians. Although the vast majority of Americans say they believe in God, there was no clear answer to the question: “What do they mean when they say that?” The American Beliefs Study from ACS Technologies deeply explores aspects of the beliefs, life concerns, faith involvement, and religious preferences of people across the United States. Starting in 2013, the study has been conducted in 2017 and 2021 with over 45K participants. Using the most recent data, ACS Technologies has distilled this massive swath of information into nine unique reports, six of which are currently available at www.americanbeliefs.com.
“The American Beliefs Study answers important questions about generations and ministry contexts in one thought-provoking report. People who wonder why ministry is so difficult today will be fascinated with the findings,” said Emily Reece, a consultant with ACS Technologies.
Surveying a sample of nearly 15,000 Americans, several noteworthy findings were observed with special attention to the generational identity of respondents:
- Most Americans of all generations believe there is a God (or god or gods) of some kind out there. Millennials scored highest for atheism, with one in five agreeing with the statement, “I don’t believe a god exists; the material universe is all that is.” They also scored highest for uncertainty about God’s existence, with 26% affirming, “I’m unsure/undecided about whether a god exists.”
- The Bible teaches there is only one God. Twenty percent of Millennials agreed with the statement, “there are many gods.” In contrast, only 11% of Silents and Boomers agreed with that statement, as did 14% of Gen Xers.
- Relatively few Americans believe Jesus was only human, that he was just a great teacher or prophet. For the three older age groups, 56% to 62% agreed that “Jesus was both divine and human.” Millennials, however, lagged at a significantly lower 49%, meaning that Millennials are evenly divided on the question of Jesus being God.
- 36% of Gen Z respondents indicated they did not have any religious preference over the past 10 years. This suggests that 64% have a preference, which suggests opportunities for relationships with people in this age group.
“For me, the best news in the latest report is that every generation ranked ‘God is love and invites the world into a loving relationship’ highest among their beliefs about God,” noted Reece. “As Christians we have the opportunity to demonstrate God’s amazing love to people who are eager to receive it.”
All available reports in the American Beliefs Study series can be accessed for free here. ACS Technologies will release three more reports to complete the collection of focused studies.
For more information and a complete press kit, visit https://www.acstechnologies.com/presskit-abs6/
To request an interview with Emily Reece, contact Carrie Kline at carriek@revolutionizingmissions.com.
About ACS Technologies
Founded in 1978, ACS Technologies is the leading, most comprehensive provider of church ministry tools, support, and expertise solutions to nearly 50,000 churches, schools, dioceses, and denominational offices. With the mission to enable everyone in the Church with a personalized ministry environment to make God-honoring decisions in actionable ways. ACS Technologies desires to build the Kingdom by being a trusted ministry partner in the daily life of every church. ACS Technologies stands apart by providing a whole church approach, meeting the needs of the denomination/diocese, pastor/priest, staff/volunteers, and congregants/parishioners with unique value to each role with each ministry goal. ACS Technologies is a privately held independent Christian family-led company based out of Florence, SC, with remote team members across the U.S.
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