What churches track when they evaluate discipleship progress
Percent of U.S. Protestant pastors whose church evaluates discipleship progress, 2025 (in percent)
Key finding
Highest: Number of people serving (59%). Lowest: Something else (15%).
- Number of people serving: 59%
- Number of people at key stages: 58%
- Number of new leaders: 45%
Source: Lifeway Research, Most Churches Rarely Evaluate Their Discipleship Strategies · Survey of 2,620 Protestant pastors; 95% confidence, margin of error plus or minus 2.05%. Article published 2025-10-07.
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Questions about this statistic
What does this statistic show?
Highest: Number of people serving (59%). Lowest: Something else (15%). Number of people serving: 59%. Number of people at key stages: 58%. Number of new leaders: 45%.
Who published this data?
Lifeway Research, 2025. Source: Lifeway Research, Most Churches Rarely Evaluate Their Discipleship Strategies (https://research.lifeway.com/2025/10/07/most-churches-rarely-evaluate-their-discipleship-strategies/).
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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.