Most pastors think they know. The numbers often say something different.
83%
of Christians commit to faith before age 18
54%
of active adult church members are 60 or older, some surveys show
2x
churchgoers are twice as likely as the average American to be 65+, some surveys show
9pts
gap between young adults in the population vs. in church pews
Sources: Barna Group; Church Answers longitudinal research; Faith Communities Today / Lifeway Research; Lifeway Research.
Step 1 of 3 — Before you begin
What this scorecard measures
Most church health conversations focus on one question: are we growing or shrinking? This scorecard asks a different one — given the people who are already showing up, does your congregation have the generational balance to sustain itself into the future?
A church can be growing and still carry serious age-related risk. A smaller church with the right generational spread may have a healthier long-term outlook than a larger one missing an entire life stage.
One important note
If your church is not growing, that is itself a concern worth addressing separately. Overall attendance growth or decline is one of the most important measures of church health — and it is not what this tool evaluates. Use this scorecard as one input among many, not a final verdict.
Church information
Count everyone across all services in a typical week, including children in separate ministry spaces.
Step 2 of 3 — Age brackets
Age brackets
Enter the approximate number of regular attendees in each group. Include children even if they attend separate ministry spaces.