A finding that was not surprising was that younger evangelical churchgoers are more likely than older ones to desire change in their churches. According to the report:
The youngest evangelicals are, by far, the ones wanting the most change. The average evangelical churchgoer under age 40 wants to see 4.5 of the 14 areas change in their church. Compare this with 3.7 in the 40 – 54 age group, 3.1 among those 55 to 69, and 3.0 in the oldest cohort.
This is no surprise, as younger people tend to want to shake things up in almost all walks of life—politics, technology, entertainment, etc. But it serves as confirmation that the age gap in churches is very real, with older people often satisfied with the status quo, and younger people wanting to change the status quo.
The report contained a number of other notable findings, including that most evangelical churchgoers are satisfied with how often their churches ask for money. Another was that the area where evangelicals desire the most change is in outreach to their communities—and younger evangelicals (34 percent) showed the greatest desire for change is this area.
The survey also explored other areas, such people’s views on whether or not there should be more women in leadership and whether or not churches should focus on diversity.
