Barna Study Sheds Light on Small Group Participation

A new study from the Barna Research Group examines the involvement of church members across the country. The research explores the lives of active participants in the faith and how their faith is lived out in small group participation beyond large-group worship services.

There were nine key findings from the project:

1. Women drive most faith participation, with the exception of home churches or house churches.

2. Religious activities are typically missing single adults, especially those who have never been married.

3. Older adults also dominate faith involvement.

4. Regionally, Americans’ faith involvement falls along stereotypical lines.

5. Catholics are not particularly active beyond worship attendance, while evangelicals participate in many different forms of "group faith."

6. Attenders of larger churches involve themselves in the broadest spectrum of faith activities.

7. African-Americans represent a significant share of those involved in participatory faith.

8. Personal Bible reading is most common among small group attenders.

9. Many religiously active Americans lean toward conservative political views, though there is more diversity than expected – especially among house church attenders.

To read a more complete synopsis on the report click here.