Why Are People Leaving Church?
Though the trends have been building for several decades, America is currently experiencing a great “dechurching” unlike anything we’ve seen before - and COVID certainly accelerated this trend. The reasons for this dechurching are complex and vary somewhat from region to region and among varying theological orientations and psychographics. This page will collect links to various articles and books covering this phenomenon from a variety of perspectives.
August, 2023. The Washington Post, Opinion: I left the church - and now long for a ‘church for the nones.’
July, 2023. The Atlantic, The Misunderstood Reason Millions of Americans Stopped Going to Church.
June, 2023. The New York Times, The Largest and Fastest Religious Shift in America is Well Underway.
June, 2023. The New York Times, Why Do People Lose Their Religion? More Than 7,000 Readers Shared Their Stories.
May, 2023. The New York Times, Christianity’s Got a Branding Problem.
April, 2023. The New York Times, Lots of Americans Are Losing Their Religion. Are you?
Book: Davis & Graham, The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? (Zondervan, August 2023)
