The Healthy Church Staff Podcast
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The Healthy Church Staff Podcast
Why People Are Leaving Christianity (And What Churches Can Do About It)
Nearly one in four Americans raised Christian no longer identifies with the faith according to recent Pew Research, representing a significant drop from 90% Christian identification in the 1970s to about 66% today.
• Religious switching is one of the most influential factors shaping the future of faith in the US
• Many leaving Christianity aren't switching to other religions but becoming "nones" with no religious affiliation
• Key reasons for leaving include disillusionment with church leadership, political entanglement, moral failures, and hypocrisy
• People still have spiritual questions but aren't coming to churches for answers
• Those who stay in their faith typically have strong church relationships, feel aligned with their church's values, and experience meaningful spiritual growth
• The "glue" that keeps people in church is authentic community, purpose, and genuine faith
• Churches should focus on authentic preaching rather than performance, especially for Gen Z
• Creating safe spaces for doubters to ask questions without shame is essential
• Equipping church teams to prioritize loving people, not just leading them, can make a significant difference
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic and what you're doing in your church. Email me at podcast@chemistrystaffing.com or leave a comment if you're watching on YouTube.
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I was reading through the latest Pew research that just came out and I was startled to find out that, nearly according to their research, nearly one in four Americans raised Christian no longer even identifies that way. That's according to Pew, and it's happening right now and the numbers rise. So what's going on? We're going to talk about that today, right here on the Healthy Church Staff podcast. Hi there, my name is Todd Rhodes, I am one of the co-founders over at Chemistry Staffing and I am your host here on the Healthy Church Staff podcast. All right, so what's going on? Why are people leaving Christianity and how can we respond as church leaders? Let's talk about that today. As I said, pew's latest and newest data shows that religious switching is one of the most influential factors shaping the future of faith in the US. Christianity and maybe you haven't even heard about the study it just came out Christianity is still the majority. Okay, but more and more people are walking away, especially Gen Z and millennials. In fact, pew found that only about 66% of US adults identify as Christian in 2025. That's down from 90%. So it went from 90% back in the 1970s down to about 66% in this year, 2025. That's not just a drift man. That's a seismic shift. So, as church leaders, we need to look at that not just as a stat. This is somebody's son, somebody's daughter, somebody's former youth group student who just quietly disappeared from the faith. So why are they leaving?
Speaker 1:Pew identifies a few trends that they think have to do with some of this. The first is disillusionment with the truth. Disillusionment with church leadership, not the truth, disillusionment with church leadership. And then, all right, I'm going to cut that there, cut, cut, okay. And why are they leaving?
Speaker 1:Pew identifies a few key trends. One is disillusionment from church leadership, with church leadership, political entanglement, moral failure of leadership it goes with that first point and hypocrisy and a personal desire for spirituality outside of organized religion, especially among younger people. Many aren't switching to a different religion, though. They're just walking into a new category, which we've all talked about before the nuns no faith, no affiliation whatsoever. And here's the truth, though. People are asking spiritual questions, but they're not coming to the church for answers, and as church leaders, that's a problem. All right, is there any good news? Todd, thanks, this is a great message for me on a Monday. Who's staying? That's the good news, pew.
Speaker 1:Also, in their research they came up with who's not switching okay, and those who tend to stay tend to have a few things in common. For example, they came up with who's not switching. And those who tend to stay tend to have a few things in common. For example, they tend to have a strong relationship within their church, they're connected, they feel their church aligns with their values, and then they experience meaningful spiritual growth. So what is the glue? What is the thing that holds this all together that keeps people staying and keeps people from walking away from their faith? The glue, it's community and it's purpose and it's authenticity. Authentic faith that's the sweet spot. So that means, if your church is building trust and offering relational discipleships, opportunities to connect, if you're staying focused on Jesus and not just politics or preferences, you're better positioned to retain the people that you already have and to reach new people.
Speaker 1:Todd, what in the world can I? That's alarming. I'm with you. What can we do in our churches today to help to stop this, at least in my local church? What can I do?
Speaker 1:Here are some suggestions. First of all, preach with authenticity, not a performance. Gen Z does not like performance. They will thrive on your authenticity, though, and then foster a genuine community, not just consumer-driven programs and engage those people, not just inside your walls but outside your walls. Engage those doubters, don't ignore them. Create space where they can come in and your current people can ask really hard questions without any shame or retribution. And equip your team, those people that are already on your team that aren't going anywhere. Equip them to love, not just lead, because this moment it's not just a threat. It is, but it's more than that. If we're keen church leaders, this is a moment to kind of rethink and reimagine and recommit to our gospel mission. We have to. The shift is happening. The shift is real, but there's also an opportunity and you can be in a place where your people run toward, not from when you lead with grace and truth and real community.
Speaker 1:I hope this has been helpful to you today. It's a wake-up call, for sure, but it's also a call to really dig in and make a difference where you are Taking just these simple steps and you're probably already doing a lot of them just doing these things will help mitigate the loss and the feelings that people have that the church isn't relevant in their life and will help people from walking away from not only your church but from their faith. All right, I'd love to hear your comments. If you're watching on YouTube, you can leave a comment in the comment section. If you're listening on the podcast, just send me an email. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. I'd love to hear from you and hear your thoughts on this topic and maybe what you're doing in your church. All right, thanks so much. Hope you have a great day. Thanks for joining us here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. You.
