The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going

The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going by Ryan P. Burge

People with no religious belief have been growing significantly since the 1990s. Why is this so and who are they? The author dives into social survey data to come up with a number of explanations. There are a few different surveys that look at a group of people at a point in time. They don't look at the same people, so it is difficult to find individual changes. The surveys also have different buckets. (The oldest one has a smaller sample size and just "Protestant, Christian, Other and None". Newer ones have larger sample sizes and more options, but don't go back in time as far.)

The United States has been an anomaly. Typically, countries have become less religious as they have become wealthier. The US is very wealthy and religious at the same time. Could part of this be a reversion to the mean? What could be driving it? Some people may simply feel more comfortable reporting no church affiliation. In the past, they may have felt the need to report a religious affiliation, even if they never attended church. 

Different churches are being impacted in different ways. Mainline protestants see most of the fall. "Other" religious, such as Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Muslims see growth. Jews continue to be a social group even if they do not actively practice. The religious right may have galvanized some believers while turning off others. While the religious tended to be politically balanced before, they are now overwhelmingly right wing. Scandals such as that in the catholic church may have also hurt.

Demographics also play a role. Youth and parents tend to have high church attendance, while young adults have lower church attendance. Today people are marrying and having kids later in life. They are is in more non-traditional relationships. Family sizes are also smaller and people are moving further from families.

The internet and communications may also play a role. People would often adhere to their local community standards, even if they didn't share the beliefs. Today, it is easy to find an online community with the most obscure beliefs. Black churches were also the hub for black social and political activity. Now that can also be had elsewhere. 

All "nones" are also not created equal. In a survey that distinguishes between atheists, agnostics and "no religion", there are significant differences in the three groups. The "no religion" are more likely to attend church and to later claim a religious affiliation. 

The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?

The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? by Jim Davis, Michael Graham and Ryan P. Burge

Church attendance has fallen greatly in the past few decades, evn in places like the southeastern Bible Belt. This book looks at why it has happened and proposes some solutions for church leaders to bring the "de-churched" back into the fold. The primary focus is on dechurched protestants, though Catholics get a bit of coverage. Dechurched are defined as people that had once attended church regularly, but now attend less than once per year. They have a multitude of reasons for not attending. Most attended as children. The young adult time period is the most common time to stop attending. Some never find a church in a new community. Some find church less convenient. Others have had traumatic events that have led them to leave the church.

Recent events have led to increased dechurching. It has picked up with the spread of the internet. It is now possible to join a social community online without meeting people in person. It is also easy to find people that have your exact beliefs with no more need to join a general population in a church. The Covid-19 pandemic brought about online church services. Many enjoyed the convenience of staying at home and never went back to church in person. Many of these people that have stopped attending church claim to remain strong in their faith. They also tend to maintain the political beliefs associated with the Christian right and may return to church.

The vocal political involvement of churches also led to people that did not share the same political leanings to leave church. They may still claim a faith in Christ, but do not like the politicization of Christianity. 

There are also people that left church due to traumatic events or church member malfescene. These people are not likely to return.

The authors identify a balanced approach needed to return people to the fold. Church members must reach out and show a relationship. Those with strong ties are more likely to stay in the fold. It is also important that churches are complete. They can't be focussed on entertaining without the faith in Christ. They also can't be too focussed on doctrine to the detriment of people's needs. 

It is also interesting to read that church attendance has gone through many peaks and valleys in the US. During early history, it was fairly low. There were spurts of increased attendance at the Great Awakening, and then a bigger jump around the Civil War. It has remained relatively constant since the great depression until starting to fall off in the 1990s. I wonder how much of a role demographics play in this?