A research article by The Barna Group
Summary: This research article conducted by the Barna Group (source) showcases data and trends for people in the United States who “love Jesus, but not the church”. The Barna Group conducted this study as part of a two-part exploration of faith and spirituality outside the church.
Barna describes the purpose of this research as: “To get at a sense of enduring faithfulness among Christians despite a rejection of the institutional church, Barna created a metric to capture those who most neatly fit this description. It includes those who self-identify as Christian and who strongly agree that their religious faith is very important in their life, but are “dechurched”—that is, they have attended church in the past, but haven’t done so in the last six months (or more). These individuals have a sincere faith (89% have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important to their life today), but are notably absent from church.”
Use Cases: Read this research individually or with a group.
Additional Resources: A Way of Life Fades
Question to Consider: Have you or anyone you know felt “burned” by the church — why do they feel that way? What can you do in response to this culture?
Thoughts on this topic? Please leave a comment below!
