If it feels like more people are asking spiritual questions, the research agrees. Barna Group's State of the Church 2026 research points to growing spiritual openness, especially among younger adults. It also points to a gap that digital ministry teams are well placed to help close.
The findings are from the United States, but the patterns will feel familiar to many ministries serving elsewhere. We’ve been obsessed with this report ever since David Kinnaman presented his findings at the most recent Missional AI conference. Here are three findings worth your team's attention, and what to do about each.
1. Openness is rising, but formation is lagging
Barna reports that two-thirds of U.S. adults say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus, and nearly three in four Gen Z adults say they're seeing peers commit their lives to Jesus. At the same time, long-term signs of formation, such as regular church attendance and prioritizing faith in daily life, have not rebounded.
What it means: More people are stepping toward faith than there are relationships to help them grow in it. That gap is exactly where follow-up lives. When someone responds online, the question is whether anyone will walk with them from that first step into a community where faith can take root.
What to do: Look at where your seekers drop off after their first response. Strengthen that step before investing in more reach.
2. Prayer is a common door
Barna found that 73 percent of U.S. adults and 86 percent of Christians report praying weekly. Even as other practices have declined, prayer has held steady.
What it means: Many people who wouldn't attend a service or open a Bible still pray. An offer to pray with someone meets them where they already are.
What to do: Test prayer as the call to action in your next campaign ("How can we pray for you this week?"). Make sure your follow-up team is ready to respond to prayer requests personally and quickly.
3. People are bringing spiritual questions to AI
According to Barna, about four in ten practicing Christians say AI has helped them with prayer (41 percent) and Bible study (45 percent). Nearly one in three U.S. adults say spiritual guidance from AI is as trustworthy as guidance from a pastor.
What it means: Seekers are already asking their questions somewhere, often late at night and often to a machine. AI can offer information. It can't offer presence, prayer or a church family.
What to do: Make it easy to reach a real person. Clearly invite people to message your team, and make sure your content answers common spiritual questions in plain language. The ministries that stay present and personal will stand out.
Your next step
Read the full Barna findings with your team, then choose one of the three areas above to act on this quarter. The openness is real. The opportunity is to make sure no one who takes that first step online gets left there.
