Pastors who encourage members to read the Bible on their own
Percent of U.S. Protestant pastors, 2025 (in percent)
Key finding
- Pastors who encourage members to read the Bible on their own: 99%. Percent of Protestant pastors who say they encourage those in their churches to read the Bible on their own
Source: Lifeway Research, 8 Truths About American Bible Readers the Church Should Know · Article published 2025-07-28.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Pastors who encourage members to read the Bible on their own: 99%. Percent of Protestant pastors who say they encourage those in their churches to read the Bible on their own.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2025. Source: Lifeway Research, 8 Truths About American Bible Readers the Church Should Know (https://research.lifeway.com/2025/07/28/8-truths-about-american-bible-readers-the-church-should-know/).
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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.