Project — How will the project be carried out? — How can you join the project?
G.K. Chesterton once said, “Christianity has died many times and risen again, for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.”
Nationally, three out of five Chileans identify as Christians, making Chile the Latin American country with the fewest adherents to this belief. Conversely, Chile leads Latin America in the percentage of people who declare no religious affiliation—29% of respondents.
According to the Bicentennial Survey from the Catholic University of Chile, the percentage of people identifying as Catholic dropped from 70% to 45% between 2006 and 2023. During the same period, the evangelical population grew by only three points, reaching 17%. However, the group that has grown the most is those who identify with no religion, rising from 12% to 33%, reaching even 63% among Chilean youth. This is confirmed by the survey Latinobarómetro 2024 which ranks Chile as the second country in Latin America with the highest number of people who do not identify as Catholic or evangelical (37% of the population). Besides, Corpa Market Studies reports that “13% of those under 30 identify as evangelical, compared to 5% of those over 30″, showing a greater interest among young people in evangelicalism.
“In other words, one third of the population claims no religion, and among 18- to 24-year-olds, this figure rises to 44%. There are more young people with no religion than the combined number of young Catholics (31%) and evangelicals (12%), showing that a large part of the new generations have either left religion or never approached it.”
Despite these figures, there is hope. Globally, the number of Christians is rising. Even in the United States, England, and South Asia, there has not been such renewed interest in Jesus in recent memory (although this has not translated into significant growth in religious organizations). A report from England even speaks of a silent revival, driven primarily by millennials and Gen Z. Reasons include a change in perception of Christianity, a search for mental health, a need for belonging, community, spirituality, and hope.
On the other hand, a 2022 survey in the U.S. found that while Bible reading has declined overall, there has been a recent increase among millennials and Gen Z. More than half of respondents said they “wish they read the Bible or read it more,” creating an opportunity for Christians to invite their neighbors into deeper interaction with God’s Word. This should be presented creatively, highlighting how we are part of the biblical narrative—because, according to Story Collaborative, millennials not only seek stories, they also want to feel part of them. This includes public reading of Scripture and the use of digital media such as podcasts.
We cannot remain indifferent to the rise of secularism in Chile. As Andrea Vial points out, we may not yet see signs of a return to religion among Chilean youth as seen in other parts of the world, due to the deep crises within the Christian churches. Abuse scandals have severely damaged the image of the Catholic Church, while the evangelical church has faced image problems due to: minor scandals and social isolation, lack of leadership training, association with political sectors, worship practices that are difficult for today’s society to understand, failure to adapt to cultural change, and an emphasis on secondary matters rather than on Christ himself—with a message that has often turned its back on women.
Although, as Paula Comandari points out, distancing oneself from the institutional Church cannot be associated with ceasing to believe in God. An IPSOS report says that 80% of Chileans believe that faith in God (or a higher power) helps people through crises such as conflict or illness, and 67% believe that such faith makes people happier than average.
In Chile, 52% of respondents believe in God as described in the Holy Scriptures, and 24% in a higher spirit. This is the eighth highest rate among measured countries, though the lowest in Latin America alongside Argentina.
This shows that the problem is not faith itself, but how it is presented and how we build community. We need to offer greater biblical understanding in ways that are relevant to younger generations, take small steps toward those around us, answer hard questions, have deep commitment to lived discipleship, and make our gatherings more welcoming.
As Angela Halili said in the podcast Girls Gone Bible:
“I see people encountering Jesus, but they have no idea how to follow Him or live according to the Word. They don’t have community.”
Research and general observation show that emerging generations worldwide are less open to institutional expressions of church and less committed to the Christian faith. Youth culture is markedly different from previous generations, shaped by technology, the pursuit of authenticity, a desire for holistic well-being, and a longing for a spirituality that integrates life and work from Monday to Sunday. Many members of the next generation have never heard the gospel and lack Christian peers who demonstrate the way of Jesus in this new culture.
Lausanne Fourth Congress, 2024
