American Culture

Churches without Members, Christians without Churches

No, Religious Conservatives Didn’t Cause Church Membership Decline

“According to the groundbreaking American Worldview Inventory 2021—the first survey of its kind to measure not only biblical worldview, but six prominent competing worldviews—found that the overwhelming majority of American adults lack a cohesive, coherent worldview, and instead substitute a patchwork of conflicting, often irreconcilable beliefs and values as they navigate life.” -

“A study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research finds, compared to a decade ago, U.S. adults today are more likely to regularly wonder about meaning and purpose in this life but less likely to strongly believe finding a higher meaning and purpose is important.” - BPNews

“Towards the end of the book, after assembling her evidence and indicting the totality of evangelical Christianity as White and Patriarchal, she writes: ‘Driscoll, Mahaney, Patrick, MacArthur, and MacDonald had all risen to prominence through their aggressive promotion of patriarchal power.

“while the sneakers themselves are a momentary (yet demented) publicity grab, Lil Nas X’s popularity with little children is deeply alarming. What are the parents thinking?” - Michael Brown

“The decline in church membership appears to be primarily a result of more Americans expressing no religious preference….Most of the rest of the drop can be attributed to a decline in formal church membership among Americans who do have a religious preference….

“Church members are in the minority for the first time in at least eight decades, with just 47 percent identifying with a congregation, Gallup said in a poll released [March 29]. The number was 70 percent in 1999.” - BPNews

“The truthfulness of the resurrection is not as controversial today as many Christians may assume. The bigger issue, however, may be helping Americans recognize the relevance of Jesus rising from the dead.” - LifeWay

“Most pastors have several moments each week when they shake their heads in sorrow at something they’ve seen a church member post on social media. The last year—in which churchgoers spent less time in face-to-face fellowship and more time than ever in ‘fellowship’ with the social media mob—has made the problem worse. What can church leaders do about this?” - 9 Marks