A new survey from Lifeway Research found that the majority of Christians believe that Christian films can be a useful tool for evangelism. The report surveyed 1,008 American Protestant churchgoers from September 19-29, 2023. The survey found that 68 percent of respondents had watched a faith-based film in the last year, while 48 percent had watched a secular film. Seventy-two percent stated they either somewhat or strongly agree that they intentionally seek out films with Christian messages. Eighty-one percent also somewhat or strongly agreed with the statement that Christian films can be an effective tool for evangelism.

The study also broke down for differences in age, gender, and race. Interestingly, younger adults (aged 18-34) were the least likely group to have seen a secular movie (31 percent) and the most likely group to have invited a non-Christian friend to see a Christian film (26 percent). They were also the group most likely to discuss religious themes in a secular film with a non-Christian (31 percent). Non-denominational Christians (77 percent) were the most likely group to have watched a Christian film, while Presbyterian/Reformed were the least likely group (49 percent). The survey also asked respondents about Christian books, finding that 65 percent had read at least one Christian book throughout the last year, while 31 percent hadn’t read a single one.

Lifeway Research CEO Scott McConnell stated the research shows the marketability of Christian films. “It can be easy for Christian resource providers to design resources they hope are helpful, but Christian movies are something churchgoers want to see. They don’t assume every Christian movie is a fit for non-Christians they know, but they agree films can be an effective way to share the gospel.” He also discussed including secular films in the survey. “Our intention in asking churchgoers if they watch secular movies was to contrast viewership of movies that are not overtly Christian themed,” and added “it’s clear some churchgoers may not have been familiar with this use of the term ‘secular’ and others may have thought it was seeking to contrast movies that are overtly anti-Christian.”

The Christian site Movieguide discussed the rise of Christian films last year, noting a Barna study that found the audience for Christian films had grown in recent years. The site has also found through its Report to the Entertainment Industry that faith-based and family-friendly films tend to be more profitable than films featuring more language and adult themes. Christian films are also often made for lower budgets, creating a bigger profit margin.  David Helling, who made his directorial debut with “His Only Son,” discussed the appeal of Christian films to Hollywood. “I think Hollywood is taking notice because, at the end of the day, they see, OK, well, if there is revenue to be made through this type of entertainment, they might then now put more resources behind it. And because of that, we will start to see more and more of this content come out for a season.” “His Only Son” made $13 million worldwide on a budget of $250,000. Helling, however, stated his own goal in making the film went much further than the monetary gains. “My heart is to do biblical films for as long as the Lord allows me to do it in order to bring Scripture’s truth from the page to the screen so that others can see these accounts as real people and be drawn to the word into the Gospel for themselves.”