(RNS) — If 2025 felt like a particularly chaotic year for religion news, just wait until 2026. Some of the coming cacophony will be an extension of trends that emerged this year: the first full year of Leo’s papacy, the continued religious pushback to President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda, the fallout from Charlie Kirk’s assassination. But there are also some unusual dynamics that could make 2026 an especially difficult year to predict religious trends: the midterm elections, the tenuous ceasefire in Gaza, the inauguration of New York City’s first Muslim mayor.
Those are just a few of the news stories on their radar as RNS reporters look ahead to the coming year. They also expect to cover religion on a more intimate level: from the much touted (but debated) Generation Z revival, to evolving faith practices within immigrant diasporas, to religion on TikTok. Plus, the country’s 250th anniversary.
Adelle M. Banks
Adelle M. Banks. (RNS photo)
After writing about the 250th anniversary of the U.S military chaplaincy this year, I hope to explore the 250th anniversary of the country from a religious lens. As the country looks back, the occasion also could be a way to gauge the survival, resilience and challenges of congregations in 2026.
2026 also is the 100th anniversary of Black History Month — it started as “Negro History Week” in 1926. I hope to add to past coverage of Black history, interviewing authors and experts on the role of the Black church today and in the country’s history, as several of its leaders will have new books and projects in 2026.
Another milestone in 2026 is the 25th anniversary of faith-related offices in the White House, which began with President George W. Bush in 2001. In the coming year, it will be worth considering how initiatives have changed or remained the same over a quarter century.
Bob Smietana
Bob Smietana. (RNS photo)
In the months to come, I’m hoping to follow up on a couple of recent reports from Pew Research — one which showed that the decline of religious affiliation in the U.S. has stalled, at least for now, and a second which explored why people keep the faith they grew up with.
I’d like to do more reporting on why religious faith and the belief in organized religion persist at a time when trust in institutions is failing. I’m also hoping to report on religious commu …