Although most US Protestant churchgoers say they value the Bible, a new Lifeway Research study shows that just 31% read scripture every day.
The State of Discipleship study measured eight markers of spiritual growth among churchgoers, including personal Bible engagement. On a scale of 0 to 100, the average churchgoer scored 69.8 on Bible engagement, ranking fifth among the markers.
While around three in five churchgoers (61%) say they regularly read the Bible, the study found wide variation in frequency: 30% read scripture a few times a week, 14% once a week, 11% a few times a month, 5% monthly, and 9% rarely or never.
“Protestant churchgoers overall report they are engaging the Bible, but on any specific question as many as 1 in 5 say they are not following Jesus Christ in that way,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “This reflects an overall pattern in assessments of churchgoers where the direction is often good but far from the standard seen in scripture.”
Although daily Bible reading remains low, the study shows a long-term rise in engagement. In 2012, 46% of churchgoers read the Bible regularly, including 19% daily. In 2007, only 36% were regular readers, with just 16% reading every day.
The reseach also showed that Bible engagement is strongly linked to discipleship, especially for young people. It revealed that children who regularly read scripture are more likely to remain faithful as young adults.
Even among churchgoers who miss Bible reading for several days, many report feeling the absence. Around 62% say they desperately miss time with God, while 58% feel unfulfilled without personal Bible study.
“Most of those engaging the Bible regularly are doing so because they enjoy what the practice brings to their lives,” McConnell said. “Movement toward more Bible engagement requires intentionality, but movement away from this devotion can start out as a slow drift.”
The research concluded that US Protestant churchgoers generally hold the Bible in high regard, though not all consider it fully authoritative. Around 74% say scripture has authority over every area of life, but only 40% strongly agree. Similarly, 72% think about biblical truths throughout the day, yet only 31% strongly agree that this is regularly the case for them.
“The Bible can’t have full authority in someone’s life if they don’t know what it says or aren’t considering what it says about the specific things they are facing,” McConnell added.
