Time and again, U.S. teens and adults have told Barna that, while they have mostly positive opinions of Jesus, their perceptions of the Church and Christians as a whole have often led them to doubt Christian beliefs.

Other data from past Barna studies shows that the Church’s reputation in specific areas like pursuing justice and stepping up to help solve local problems is wavering among both teens and adults alike. Reporting from our Spiritually Open research also shows that while most Christians (48%) view Christianity as a faith they respect “a lot,” just 15 percent of people with no faith say the same.

Right now, it seems, most Christians (57%), including over seven in 10 practicing Christians (76%), are at a point in their spiritual journeys where they want to help the Church refocus on what’s truly important.

It’s obvious from the responses of both Christians and non-Christians, the Church’s reputation has room for improvement and bridges that need to be built or strengthened.

The silver lining? As shown by the data above, Christians are ready to help the Church rediscover and refocus on what Jesus intended for it. Now is the time to equip your congregation to harness this drive by considering the ways whole-life discipleship is modeled and encouraged in your church. Without this kind of lived faith, the disconnect between Jesus’ teachings and the life of Christians might continue to cause people to doubt the faith and hold the Church at a distance.

This data comes from Barna and Gloo’s ongoing State of the Church initiative. More Trends and stories related to what Christians really believe can be found exclusively on Barna Access Plus.