A new survey has revealed that while a vast majority of Protestants see Christian movies as powerful tools for evangelism, many churchgoers are hesitant to share these films with their non-Christian friends.
Lifeway Research released a report based on a survey conducted in September 2023 with 1,008 American Protestant churchgoers.
The survey explored attitudes toward Christian movies and books.
When asked about the effectiveness of Christian movies as evangelism tools, 81 per cent of respondents agreed.
Of those, 33 per cent strongly agreed, and 48 per cent somewhat agreed. Only twelve per cent expressed disagreement, with ten per cent somewhat disagreeing and two per cent strongly disagreeing.
A significant 72 per cent of churchgoers reported intentionally watching movies with Christian messages. Among them, 30 per cent strongly agreed that they sought out such content, and 42 per cent somewhat agreed.
In contrast, 24 per cent disagreed to varying degrees that they specifically looked for Christian-themed movies.
Overall, 68 per cent of respondents had watched a Christian movie in the past year, while 48 per cent had seen a secular film.
Less common activities included discussing Christian themes in secular movies with fellow Christians (30 per cent) and non-Christians (21 per cent), and inviting non-Christians to watch Christian movies (twelve per cent).
Denominational differences were also highlighted in the survey.
Non-denominational Christians were the most likely to have watched both Christian and secular movies in the past year.
Baptists and non-denominational Christians were also the most likely to have intentionally sought out Christian movies.
A strong belief in the effectiveness of Christian movies as evangelism tools was shared by 84 per cent of Baptists and non-denominational Christians, 75 per cent of Lutherans, and 68 per cent of Presbyterians.
In an interview with The Christian Post Stephen Kendrick, a Christian film producer, emphasised the impact of Christian movies, stating that they can be powerful tools for reaching people with biblical truths through emotional and memorable stories.
He told the outlet that “Countless people have come to Christ through watching a Christian movie.
"The Holy Spirit continues to use art to point to the glory of Christ and the gospel.”