Chris Pratt, Joe Rogan join Americans flocking back to church. It's a welcome change. | Opinion

After decades of decline in church attendance in the United States, many people are considering a return to church.

This trend has made recent headlines with celebrities like Chris Pratt, Canadian musician Grimes, political commentor Chris Cillizza and even podcaster Joe Rogan expressing a desire to reconnect to faith.

But the statistics are telling us that this is more than a few high-profile figures returning to church. Something is going on in religion in America.

A recent study from the Pew Research Center indicated that the trend of decline of Americans who identify as Christian has leveled off since the COVID-19 pandemic. While it's too early to tell if this is a lasting trend, new data from Barna Group points to a possible bump in church attendance itself.

Why might people want to return to church?

In my Easter column for USA TODAY, I pointed out how young men are now engaging church at higher levels than young women. All of this seems to be a part of a cultural moment that is worth exploring. Why might people want to return to church? Why do we see this increasing interest in spiritual things?

And, at the end of the day, is it a good thing that people go back to church? As a researcher, I believe that facts are our friends. So here are some facts about church attendance.

This might not come as a surprise, since I am an evangelical Christian and the dean of a seminary. But I am those things because I believe what Christianity teaches about trusting and following Jesus Christ to be true. I believe the claims Christianity makes are not only true, but also worthy of regularly gathering together in churches to celebrate that truth, support one another and grow in faith together.

Arthur Brooks, a happiness expert who serves as a professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, is an unashamedly devout Catholic who argues that faith is the first key to discovering a life of happiness and significance.

"We’re not just physical creatures, we’re also metaphysical creatures," Brooks observes, emphasizing the reality of the spiritual.

But, it’s more than just about belief − research shows the positive impact of faith and church. For people of faith, facts are our friends here.

Church plays an essential role in strengthening communities

The church brings cultural values to society. It’s been long said − and rightly so − that churches have a positive impact on people. I am editor-in-chief of Outreach Magazine, which features scores of stories of churches showing the love of Christ in their area. Churches return value to their communities in a variety of ways.

Churches provide a wide range of free social services, from food pantries to helping people with addictions. They offer support groups where broken people can find compassionate community and often partner with government and nonprofit agencies to help serve their communities.

Churches in some neighborhoods create a bulwark against many challenges people face. Research repeatedly shows that the presence of churches in communities increases the likelihood of community volunteerism and contributes to overall human flourishing.

This overall improvement of community health and vitality not only impacts the church goer, it also benefits communities as a whole by improving cultural vibrancy and cohesion, and even addressing social ills and improving standard of living.

For example, Black churches play a significant role in addressing a wide range of issues, from social justice to education. A Duke-related study indicated that churches in the rural South each added $735,000 in economic value to their communities as a sort of "safety net.”

Another Barna study shows that “38 percent of practicing Christians strongly agree that every person should volunteer regularly, well over the 19 percent average in the general population.”

As Brooks and others point out, people who are practicing their faith have consistently higher measures of well-being. In 2020, Gallup found an 18-point increase in personal satisfaction of life among weekly churchgoers compared with non-attendees. In 2025, that gap is still 10 points.

A Harvard study found that women who attend religious services at least once a week were 68% less likely to die in "death from despair" such as suicide or drug overdose; men were 33% less likely.

Other studies indicate that church involvement decreases overall morbidity rates, improves health and gives a sense of purpose.

We hear of the loneliness epidemic in our time, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that a third of Americans self-describe themselves as lonely. Research has shown that being in community to practice one’s faith can provide a buttress against loneliness, as it strengthens our social ties to others in close physical proximity to us.

Recently in The Atlantic, agnostic Derek Thompson wrote about the loss that has come with the decline in church attendance. Even skeptics are acknowledging that America lost something when people stopped going to church.

And, yes, churchgoers have better sex, according to research cited by the Institute for Family Studies.

With all of that said, I recognize that some things might make it difficult to go to church or return to church after a negative experience or because of the negative headlines about churches in recent years.

I understand that a lot of churches have done foolish things − and sometimes terrible things. Churches are filled with imperfect, sinful people who can hurt each other. I won’t excuse these failures. We can do better, and we must do better.

For all the flaws of broken people and broken churches, I still believe that the church is good for me − and for you. And overall, an overwhelming amount of research shows that involvement in a local church community is good for us personally, for our families, and for the communities where those churches are rooted.

So, for me, it’s an easy choice to participate in Back to Church Sunday. On Sept. 21 I’m encouraging my friends and neighbors to return to church − because I believe that faith matters, and that churches make our lives and our world better.

Church helps us to not make life just about us. Church reminds us of things that are bigger than we are. Church points us to the ultimate truth that Christians believe is found in Christ.

Don’t go to church because it is the latest fad. Instead, maybe give church a chance, because you just might find the life and the community you’ve wanted − and it could be a safe place to explore the faith you’ve been considering.

Ed Stetzer is the dean at the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University and a distinguished visiting scholar at Wycliffe Hall at Oxford University.