Church Leadership Radar - April 28, 2026

Your daily briefing on what matters in church leadership — in under 4 minutes.Today's stories:Is the Gen Z revival real? Barna CEO David Kinnaman and Carey Nieuwhof take a hard look at what the data actually says — and the picture is more nuanced than the headlines suggest.Church attendance is up for the first time in decades. New research from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research shows median congregation size grew from 65 (2020) to approximately 70 today — the first uptick in decades of decline.Why first-time guests don't come back. Thom Rainer's key insight: "People do not return to general warmth. They return to specific relationships."Good news: 17-year-old Madison Andrews wrote 17 handwritten letters to church leaders across Arkansas asking for a chance to preach — and sparked a multi-generational worship service being talked about statewide.Source Links:Barna Research — Gen Z and Church EngagementCarey Nieuwhof — Revival Data AnalysisHartford Institute for Religion Research — Congregation Size StudyThom Rainer — Why Guests Don't Return---📧 Subscribe to the Church Leadership Radar newsletter🎙️ Healthy Church Staff Podcast