Good Faith The Great Dechurching (with David French and Michael Graham)
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Oct 14, 2023 
David French and Michael Graham discuss the reasons for the significant decrease in church attendance in the US, including relocation, inconvenience, and family changes. They explore different demographics and characteristics of those who have left evangelical churches. Solutions discussed include individual outreach, personal connection, and approaching an anxious world with humility and kindness.
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Scale And Method Of The Dechurching Crisis
- About 40 million adult Americans who once attended monthly now go less than once per year, the largest rapid religious shift in U.S. history.
- The authors funded three survey phases totaling 7,000 respondents to get granular, reliable data on dechurching.
Neither Scandal Nor Politics Fully Explain It
- Neither scandals nor a single political story fully explain dechurching; both narratives are incomplete.
- The real drivers are more mundane rhythms and information diets shaping habits over time.
Casual Drift Explains Most Departures
- Most people left church casually: life disruptions and inertia, not dramatic ideological breaks.
- Top reasons for white dechurching were moving, inconvenience, and family changes.