This message PREACHES!!! Do not be bashful about JESUS! Come on now!
Baptist Press
By Aaron Earls, posted May 19, 2026 in Discipleship, Lifeway
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — While some Americans show up to church on Sunday morning, those in their lives Monday through Saturday may never hear about it.
Lifeway Research’s State of Discipleship revealed many U.S. Protestant churchgoers don’t see their faith as pervasive throughout their lives and aren’t concerned if others know about it.
Living unashamed is the last of eight signposts that measure characteristics evident in believers who are progressing in spiritual maturity. The average churchgoer scored one of the lowest scores in this category, 61.0, ranking it seventh.
“Ideally, a Christian would be talking about their relationship with Jesus Christ, not as something they have to say, but as an overflow of their love for Him and His impact on their lives. The honesty of churchgoers about gaps in living unashamed reveals large numbers have room for growth in this important aspect of discipleship,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.
Letting others know
Around 1 in 6 U.S. Protestant churchgoers (17 percent) say they are hesitant to let non-Christians know they are a Christian, including 5 percent who strongly agree. Two in 3 (65 percent) disagree, including 39 percent who strongly disagree, while 17 percent neither agree nor disagree.
Even more say many people in their lives don’t know about their beliefs, and the number is growing. Today, 30 percent agree many people who know them are not aware they’re a Christian. Around half (53 percent) say that’s not the case, including 27 percent who strongly say so, and 17 percent aren’t sure.
In a 2013 Lifeway Research study, 14 percent of churchgoers said many people who knew them weren’t aware they were a Christian. That climbed to 20 percent in a 2019 Lifeway Research study, before reaching 30 percent today. Go deeper: Read the full story at Baptist Press
