Most important approach to adult discipleship
Percent of U.S. Protestant pastors naming each as most important, 2025 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Weekly sermon (33%). Lowest: Women's groups (1%).
- Weekly sermon: 33%
- Adult small group Bible study: 18%
- Adult Sunday School: 18%
Source: Lifeway Research, Discipleship Is a Priority Without a Plan for Many Churches · Survey of 2,620 Protestant pastors; 95% confidence, margin of error plus or minus 2.05%. Article published 2025-08-21.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Weekly sermon (33%). Lowest: Women's groups (1%). Weekly sermon: 33%. Adult small group Bible study: 18%. Adult Sunday School: 18%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2025. Source: Lifeway Research, Discipleship Is a Priority Without a Plan for Many Churches (https://research.lifeway.com/2025/08/21/discipleship-is-a-priority-without-a-plan-for-many-churches/).
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More Bible & Discipleship statistics
- Americans in the Movable Middle, curious about the Bible American Bible Society, 2026
- Americans who have not read any of the Bible American Bible Society, 2026
- Churches with an intentional plan for discipling individuals Lifeway Research, 2026
- Churchgoers' agreement with statements about Bible engagement Lifeway Research, 2026
- Churchgoers who read the Bible at least a few times a week Lifeway Research, 2026
- Discipleship habits of Protestant churchgoers Lifeway Research, 2026
About this data
Leader Insights collects statistics about U.S. churches from published research by organizations such as Lifeway Research, Barna Group, Springtide, the American Bible Society and PRRI. Every number is checked against the wording of the original source before it is published, and each statistic links back to the study it came from. Figures are reproduced from the publishers named above; see the source for full methodology.