Small Group Statistics 2027: Latest 2026 Data and Trends

How many churchgoers are in small groups, who leads them, and what do groups actually do? The latest sourced figures from Lifeway Research and Barna Group, with the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Church Profile for denominational counts. Every figure links to its original study. Updated October 2026.

How many churchgoers are in small groups?

• Worship attendees who also participate in small groups 44% · Lifeway Research, 2024
• Share of worship attendees involved in a small group or Sunday School 30% have 50 to 74% of attendees in groups, 27% 25 to 49%, 24% under 25%, 19% 75% or more (2023) · Lifeway Research, 2023
• Share of worship attendees involved in small groups, by church 41% have 50% to under 75% in a group, 22% 25% to under 50%, 19% over 75%, 9% under 25% (SBC, 2023) · Lifeway Research, 2023
• Churches where half or fewer adults attend an ongoing group 67% · Lifeway Research, 2025
• Average weekly small group attendance in Southern Baptist ministries 2.43 million · Lifeway Research, 2023
• People in Southern Baptist small groups 2.65 million · Lifeway Research, 2025
• Churchgoers who are in a small class or group of adults 65% · Lifeway Research, 2020
• How often churchgoers attend adult classes or groups in a typical month 41% do not attend, 33% four or more times, 12% once a month (2013) · Lifeway Research, 2013

Why some churchgoers are not in a group

• Top reason churchgoers are not in a small group: too busy too busy: 19% · Barna Group, 2024
• Not in a group and unsure whether church offers one 22% · Barna Group, 2024
• Church leaders who say most people do not change groups 51% · Lifeway Research, 2025
• Small group efforts churches conducted in the past six months 23% campaign to get adults into groups, 16% leader encouragement event, 3% monthly leader training (2022) · Lifeway Research, 2022

Group leaders and training

• Churches providing no training for small group leaders 36% · Lifeway Research, 2025
• Training churches provide for small group leaders 36% none, 34% in-person, 28% books, 14% only new leaders, 12% video (2024) · Lifeway Research, 2024
• Churches with training for group leaders at least twice a year 55% · Lifeway Research, 2025
• Groups leaders who agree more training should be offered to group leaders 76% · Lifeway Research, 2025

What groups do and how they are organized

• How often ongoing adult Bible study groups meet Once a week: 85% · Lifeway Research, 2024
• Highest objective of adult Bible study groups Bible study: 46% · Lifeway Research, 2024
• Labels leaders are comfortable using for their adult groups ministry 72% adult Bible studies, 56% Sunday School, 39% small groups, 10% connect groups (2024) · Lifeway Research, 2024
• How adult Bible study groups are organized 45% interest in the topic, 31% age, 29% life stage, 28% gender, 10% geography (2024) · Lifeway Research, 2024
• Why churchgoers attend a small class or group 80% enjoy it, 65% expect to learn, 35% want to help others, 23% friends are in the group (2020) · Lifeway Research, 2020
• Activities small group participants say are important in their group 83% Bible study, 76% prayer, 29% socializing in meetings, 13% inviting people (2020) · Lifeway Research, 2020
• Read the Bible outside of church in the last week, by group 84% of small group attenders read the Bible in the past week vs. 67% of church attenders (Barna, 2008 to 2010) · Barna Group, 2010

Groups, discipleship and Bible study

• Christians not engaged in discipleship at all 39% · Barna Group, 2024
• Churches with an intentional plan for discipling individuals 52% · Lifeway Research, 2026
• Most important approach to adult discipleship 33% weekly sermon, 18% adult small group Bible study, 18% adult Sunday School, 7% mentoring (2025) · Lifeway Research, 2025
• Pastors' views of discipleship in their churches 71% can measure it, 52% satisfied, 52% have a plan, 30% have methods, 11% do it better than other functions (2026) · Lifeway Research, 2026
• Discipleship habits of Protestant churchgoers 80% care for strangers, 66% get to know new people at church, 31% read the Bible daily (2026) · Lifeway Research, 2026
• The Discipleship Scorecard Overall 68.1 out of 100; Seeking God 78.5, Building relationships 64, Sharing Christ 54.8 (2025) · Lifeway Research, 2025

Community and connection

• Who churchgoers talk to before, during or after church 57% talk to the pastor, 53% other attendees, 50% church staff (2025) · Barna Group, 2025
• Frequently feel lonely, by generation 29% Gen Z, 8% Boomers, 4% Elders frequently lonely (2024) · Barna Group, 2024
• Americans who feel lonely even when surrounded by others 56% · Lifeway Research, 2018
• Gen Z Christians who strongly agree in-person relationships are more valuable than digital 70% · Barna Group, 2025

Looking ahead to 2027: what the latest data points to

No 2027 statistics have been published yet. Here is what the newest readings suggest. We update this page as new research arrives.

• Under half of worshippers are in a group at the average church. Lifeway Research found 44% of worship attendees also join small groups (2024), and in 2025 its State of Groups study found 67% of churches say half or fewer of their adults attend an ongoing group. A 2020 Lifeway survey asked churchgoers directly and found 65% were in a small class or group, so the church-level and churchgoer-level figures measure different things. See the data.
• Many churchgoers are simply not asked, or not sure. Barna Group found 19% of churchgoers outside a group say they are too busy, and 22% are not sure their church offers a group or Bible study (2024). See the data.
• Leader training is uneven. Lifeway Research's 2025 data shows 55% of churches train group leaders at least twice a year while 36% provide no training, and 76% of groups ministry leaders agree more training should be offered. See the data.