Women more satisfied with their churches' efforts to help them understand the Bible, poll finds

Home News Women more satisfied with their churches' efforts to help them understand the Bible, poll finds Most Americans are satisfied with their churches' efforts to promote spiritual health and help them understand the Bible, but confidence in churches and pastors varies significantly by gender and level of Scripture engagement, a recent study suggests. The American Bible Society (ABS) released the fifth installment of its 'State of the Bible: USA 2026' report last month. The latest chapter, titled 'Church Health,' examines churchgoers' level of satisfaction with their churches as it pertains to enabling spiritual growth, understanding the Bible and promoting a culture of service. The study's findings are based on 2,649 interviews with U.S. adults, conducted Jan. 8 to 27 in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago. A plurality of churchgoers (43%) described themselves as 'very satisfied' with how their churches challenge them to 'grow and take next steps,' while 31% considered themselves 'satisfied' and about a quarter (26%) said they were 'not satisfied.' Similarly, 43% of those surveyed indicated that they were 'very satisfied' with their churches' efforts to help them 'understand the Bible,' while 31% said they are 'satisfied' with their churches' efforts and 25% maintained that they were 'not satisfied.' "What happens when church leaders encourage Bible reading and demonstrate the connection of God's Word to everyday life?" the report asks. "People learn, people grow, people change." Forty-five percent of churchgoers considered themselves 'very satisfied' with their churches' efforts to offer 'spiritual growth opportunities through relationships.' By contrast, 32% said they are 'satisfied' and 23% called themselves 'not satisfied.' One half of churchgoers (50%) told pollsters they are 'very satisfied' with their churches' efforts to create a 'serving culture recognized by community,' while just over one-quarter (27%) reported being 'satisfied' and 22% considered themselves 'not satisfied.' A majority of churchgoers (51%) said they are 'very satisfied' with their pastors' efforts to model and reinforce spiritual growth, while 28% said they are 'satisfied' and 21% insisted that they were 'not satisfied.' 'It's encouraging to see that a majority of churchgoers in America are satisfied with how their church is serving and equipping them for their daily walks of faith," ABS Chief Innovation Officer and State of the Bible Editor-in-Chief John Farquhar Plake said in a statement. 'We also see a consistent pattern that healthy churches keep the Bible at their core.' Breaking down the survey results by gender, female churchgoers were much more likely than their male counterparts to describe themselves as 'very satisfied' with their churches' efforts to promote the aspects of church health examined in the survey. Fifty-two percent of female churchgoers said they were 'very satisfied' with their churches' efforts to challenge them to 'grow and take next steps,' compared to 33% of male churchgoers. Fifty-three percent of female churchgoers gave a 'very satisfied' rating to their churches' efforts to provide 'spiritual growth opportunities through relationships,' while 36% of male churchgoers said the same. Fifty percent of women and 36% of men told pollsters they were 'very satisfied' with their churches' efforts to help them 'understand the Bible.' While 44% of men said they are 'very satisfied' with their churches' efforts to create a 'serving culture recognized by community' and their pastors' efforts to model and reinforce spiritual growth, their level of high satisfaction lagged behind their female counterparts in both the former (56%) and the latter (57%) categories. "[T]he data also reveals opportunities for church leaders to reach out to specific people —especially young men — and guide them toward a richer, deeper relationship with God and their church through regular engagement with Scripture," Plake stated. An overwhelming majority of the Scripture Engaged — those who score 100 or higher on the broader Scripture Engagement Scale, which measures the frequency of Bible use and the centrality of its message in people's lives — said they are 'very satisfied' with their pastors' efforts to model and reinforce spiritual growth (74%). Seventy percent said they are "very satisfied" with their churches' efforts to help them 'understand the Bible' and provide 'spiritual growth opportunities through relationships." Sixty-nine percent of the Scripture Engaged said they were 'very satisfied' with their church's efforts to both create a 'serving culture recognized by community' and challenge them to 'grow and take next steps.' The Movable Middle, referring to those who score between 70 and 99 on the Scripture Engagement Scale, was much less likely to consider themselves 'very satisfied' with their churches' and pastors' efforts to promote church health. Forty-one percent of those in the Movable Middle reported being 'very satisfied' with their pastors' efforts to model and reinforce spiritual growth, while smaller shares gave their churches the same rating when it comes to their efforts to create a 'serving culture recognized by community' (40%), create 'spiritual growth opportunities through relationships' (34%), help them 'understand the Bible' (32%) and challenge them to 'grow and take next steps' (32%). The Bible Disengaged, a term applied to those who score less than 70 on the Scripture Engagement Scale, were even less likely to give 'very satisfied' ratings to their pastors' and churches' efforts to advance church health. Thirty-seven percent of the Bible Disengaged said they were 'very satisfied' with their churches' efforts to establish a 'serving culture recognized by community,' while 31% gave the same rating to their pastors' efforts to model and reinforce spiritual growth. Less than one-fourth of the Bible Disengaged called themselves 'very satisfied' with their churches' efforts to provide 'spiritual growth opportunities through relationships' (24%), challenge them to 'grow and take next steps' (22%) and help them 'understand the Bible' (19%).