The Great Dechurching: An Interview with Jim Davis and Michael Graham
Dec 12, 2023
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Jim Davis and Michael Graham discuss their book 'The Great Dechurching' and explore the reasons behind people leaving the church. They examine prevailing narratives, revealing the impact of media and personal priorities. The podcast delves into the largest religious shift in history and the surprising impact of inviting someone to church. They also discuss the mental health needs within the de-church community and the potential impact on future church practices.
The biggest reason people leave churches is due to casual factors such as moving, inconvenience, marriage or family changes, and other priorities, debunking prevailing narratives attributing the exodus to church mistakes or ideological differences.
Many de-churched individuals, especially mainstream evangelicals and ex-vangelicals, are open to returning to church if invited, highlighting the importance of outreach and intentional intervention to bring them back into the fold.
Deep dives
The prevailing narratives around people leaving the church
The podcast discusses the prevailing narratives about why people have been leaving churches. These narratives differ depending on a person's political views. Left-leaning narratives attribute the exodus to church mistakes like racism and clergy scandals, while right-leaning narratives blame secular progressivism. However, a more comprehensive view reveals that the biggest reason people leave is due to casual factors such as moving, inconvenience, marriage or family changes, and other priorities.
Different profiles of those who have left evangelical churches
The episode presents four distinct profiles of the 15 million adult Americans who have left evangelical churches. The first profile consists of cultural Christians who lacked a basic understanding of the faith and left for casual reasons. The second profile includes mainstream evangelicals who still have a deep love for Jesus and desire to return to church. The third profile, known as ex-vangelicals, experienced negative experiences with evangelical churches but have not necessarily abandoned core beliefs. The fourth profile is the BIPOC group, predominantly comprising African-American men who left due to various reasons and are willing to return to evangelical churches.
Opportunities and challenges in addressing the de-churched
The research highlights that many de-churched individuals, especially mainstream evangelicals and ex-vangelicals, are open to returning to church if invited. Churches can leverage their membership roles for outreach and actively pursue relationships with those who have left. Additionally, the generational opportunity to invest in the de-church is emphasized, as the children of the de-churched may become unchurched without intentional intervention. Mental health needs among the de-churched are also emphasized, with significant correlations between leaving the church and negative impacts on mental health.
Sam welcomes Jim Davis and Michael Graham. In part 1, they share the highest altitude insights from their study and book, The Great Dechurching.
In what ways were your findings consistent with some of the prevailing narratives surrounding people leaving the church and in what ways is your research telling a different story?
How did two pastors come to conduct the most comprehensive study on dechurching conducted to date?
Can you provide us with a high altitude snapshot of what is going on among the 15 million adult Americans who left evangelical churches?
What Path will your church take through the Bible this year?
One Year Bibles are designed to help readers engage with the entire Bible in 365 days.
One Year Bibles are great resources to help pastors encourage their community to be in the Word every day, but they also can help you come together in God’s Word as a community of believers.
One Year Bibles are perfect for small groups, Bible studies, Sunday School classes, and other connection points
There are two different reading paths for One Year Bibles:
On the Daily Reading Path, each day you will explore a passage from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.
The Chronological Reading Path helps you explore the Bible in the order the events took place.
Once you choose which path you want to take there’s even more options:
There are men’s and women’s devotional editions that have short daily devotionals that correspond with the day’s reading. Perfect for couples, marriage groups, men’s or women’s small groups.
The One Year Chronological Study Bible is perfect for Sunday school classes, small groups even full church study.
The One Year Pray for series of Bibles help you as a community intercede on behalf of some of the greatest needs facing our world today.
There are even coloring and journaling versions for people who are looking for a more tactile way to engage with the Bible
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