St. Andrew's Messenger Week of Trinity VI
This week I'll return to examining The Great Dechurching: Who's Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will iIt Take to Bring Them Back?, by Jim Davis and Michael Graham, with Ryan Burge (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2023), begun several weeks ago but paused because of events surrounding the recent ACNA Assembly and the election of our new Archbishop, the Most Rev'd Steve Wood. To review, Davis, Graham, and Burge:
. . .note that we are currently experiencing the largest and fastest religious shift in the history of the United States, greater than what are termed
the First and Second Great Awakenings, but in reverse. They have coined the term "dechurched" to describe someone who used to go to church
at least once a month but now attends less than once a year. About fifteen percent of American adults living today (around forty million people)
have effectively stopped going to church and most of that dechurching has occured in the last twenty-five years (p. xxii)
and that "no theological tradition, age group, ethnicity, political affiliation, education level, geographic location, or income bracket escaped the dechurching in America" (p.xxiii).
Those dechurching are almost evenly split between men (52%) and women(48%) and Roman Catholics, Protestants, and those identifying as "other Christians" have all dechurched equally at 32%. Generationally, baby boomers have stopped attending church at roughly twice the rate of millenials (35% vs. somewhere between 17%-25%, respectively. The author's note that that is not surprising as more baby boomers went to church in the first place (p.22). Black and white Americans are dechurching in nearly identical numbers (26 vs. 27%, respectively), while Hispanic Americans are dechurching the least (14%) while Asian Americans are dechurching the most (34%). Secular politics didn't make a significant difference with 21% of those identifying as Republicans, 23% of those identifying as Independents, and 29% of those identifying as Democrats who used to go to church have stopped doing so.
Somewhat surprisingly, at least as it relates to frequent assumptions, the more education people have the more likely they are to stay in church; the authors conclude that, "the more educated a person is, the more likely they are to see social value in religion, believe in institutions, and have higher levels of interpersonal trust" (p.26). Similarly, and contrary to conventional assumptions, "Americans who make less money are more likely to dechurch than those who make more money" (p.26). Statistics rarely make for exciting or inspirational reading, and if you've stuck with me this far you have my gratitude.
Thus far, the picture may seem pretty bleak for the organized church and it is clear that the challenges are significant, but in what Davis, Graham, and Burge, consider the most surprising and hopeful part of their study, dechurched evangelicals (a term that has become somewhat loaded but for this context is best interpreted as conservative or traditional Protestants) remain largely orthodox in their faith. 68% retain a belief in the Trinity, 64% still believe in the divinity of Jesus, 65% believe that Jesus' death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of those who believe in him, 67% believe in the resurrection, 62% believe that Jesus is the only way to God, and 61% believe in the Bible as a reliable document for all matters of faith and practice (pp. 27-28). They haven't so much left the faith as the organized church.
Christians need the Church. It is in congregations that our faith is nurtured and where we are supported as we grow and learn to follow Christ. St. Cyprian, the third-century Bishop of Carthage, stated, "No one can have God as his father who does not have the Church for his mother." The writer of Hebrews urged his readers to not ". . . neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near"(Hebrews 10:25 ESV), but those findings indicate that the road back might not be as difficult as many imagine.
In fact, 51% of the dechurched evangelicals said that they would be either somewhat or very willing to return to church. As noted by Davis, Graham, and Burge, "for hundreds of thousands of dechurched evangelical Christians, all they need is a personal invitation to a decent church community (pp.28-29). Now, it is not a one size-fits all approach. People left for different reasons and, as individuals, the return to church will take different forms -- as many as the individuals in question. Over the coming weeks I'll be discussing those matters a bit more deeply, but we are blessed with a church community that is more than just decent, but warm, welcoming, orthodox, and friendly. I'd encourage you to invite others to join us for worship as you are able with the trust and confident assurance that God will use us for the upbuilding of his body.
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This week in the Reformed Episcopal Board of Foreign Missions Cycle of Prayer we pray:
• the REC Missionary Diocese of Cuba:its leadership, laity, Saturday Children’s Schools, and seminary training
• for Bishop Boonzaaijer, Canon Mayo, Dr. Bernier, and team members as they visit the Cuban parishes
• in thanksgiving for forty Confirmations, four Ordinations, and three new parishes in Cuba
• for Archdeacon Alexei and the three deaneries of Eastern, Western, and Central Cuba
• for missionaries and pastors willing and called to remain in Cuba
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The posting of sermon summaries online via YouTube had to take a bit of a hiatus when I broke my wrist earlier this year and attempts to resume it were hindered due to some technical issues. I have been using Substack to post shareable copies of this newsletter and that platform provides a reliable means of posting audio recordings, so summaries of the weekly sermon will be posted at this site going forward.
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The Men's Lunch will meet at 11:30am this Thursday, 11 July, at Sunrise Restaurant, 1 Southern Oaks Court.
(The Rev'd) Drew. Collins, Rector