Appendix B - Glossary

Faith Segments

Practicing Christians are self-identified Christians who say their faith is very important in their lives and have attended a worship service within the past month.

Evangelicals meet nine criteria, which include: having made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today; believing that, when they die, they will go to heaven because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior; saying their faith is very important in their lives; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent on church attendance or denominational affiliation, and respondents are not asked to describe themselves as “evangelical.”

Nominal Christians identify as Christian, but have not made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and do not believe that, when they die, they will go to heaven because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.

Generations

Gen Z were born 1999 to 2015 (only 13- to 18-year-olds included).

Millennials were born 1984 to 1998.

Gen X were born 1965 to 1983.

Boomers were born 1946 to 1964.

Elders were born before 1946.

Denominations

Mainline includes American Baptist Churches, Episcopal, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, United Church of Christ, United Methodist and Presbyterian Church, USA.

Non-Mainline includes Protestant churches not included in mainline denominations.