Important Takeaways:
- Church attendance has gone down a lot in the U.S. over the past ten years. More people say they don’t belong to any religion.
- Western Europe is now very secular, with non-practicing Christians being more common than church-goers.
- The way people think about religion and spirituality is changing. Less people trust organized religion.
- The number of Americans who never go to church went up from 23% in 2014 to 31% in 2023.
- But, a lot of adults still believe in God or something similar. Many also believe in spiritual things like angels, heaven, and prayer.
- Protestantism and Catholicism have seen fewer people in their ranks, too. The Protestant population went from 51% to 43% between 2009 and 2019. Catholics dropped from 23% to 20%4. But atheists and agnostics have seen a slight increase in the same time period4.
- Church membership is dropping every year. For the first time in over 80 years, it fell below 50% in 2020. In 1947, a high of 76% was recorded, but by 2021, only 47% of Americans were still members
- Rise of the “Spiritual but Not Religious” Population
- Many oppose strong religious views against LGBTQ+ communities and are alarmed by abuse scandals in religious bodies9
- A wish for spiritual communities that are more welcoming and up-to-date
- More exposure to different spiritual views through the internet and other technologies
- Millennials and Gen Z stand out as the least connected to religion. Gen Z, especially, shows this with 34% not claiming any religious affiliation. This is higher than millennials at 29% and Generation X at 25%. Also, 18% of Gen Z considers themselves atheist or agnostic, much more than older generations
- In the last decade, trust in religious groups has shrank. This is due to many scandals and arguments about what they teach. People are now questioning if these organizations are truly honest and needed in their lives.
- Confidence in many major groups, like the church, has fallen. From 2004 to 2003, it dropped from 43% to 26%16. Even in 2023, this trust was only 32%. This is a big drop from the 60% right after 9/11 in 200116.
- Trust has fallen across different groups, like age and political beliefs. Younger Americans, aged 18-34, show the least trust in the church at 24%. This is less than the 55+ group at 35%16.
- For churches to cope with changes, they need to get creative. They should focus on spiritual growth and reaching out to their communities. Using digital platforms can help. It’s also important for them to tackle social issues. This way, churches can be strong and keep playing an important role for the believers. Changing to meet the new demands and preferences of their members is key. This will help them build a space that supports spiritual growth and makes strong community ties, even as things change. Through these changes, faith communities can become more welcoming, more united, and ready to meet the spiritual needs of new generations.
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