The Great Dechurching

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

By: Jim Davis, Michael Graham, Ryan P. Burge, Collin Hansen - introduction

Narrated by: Jim Davis, Michael Graham

Read by the authors.

We are currently experiencing the largest and fastest religious shift in US history.

It is greater than the First and Second Great Awakening and every revival in our country combined...but in the opposite direction. Yet precious little rigorous study has been done on the broad phenomenon of dechurching in America. Jim Davis and Michael Graham have commissioned the largest and most comprehensive study of dechurching in America by renowned sociologists Dr. Ryan Burge and Dr. Paul Djupe.

The Great Dechurching takes the insights gleaned from this study to drill down on how exactly people are dechurching with respect to beliefs, behavior, and belonging.

This book gives the church in America its first ever deep dive into the dechurched phenomenon. You'll learn about the dechurched through a detailed sketch of demographics, size, core concerns, church off-ramps, historical roots, and the gravity of what is at stake. Then you'll explore what can be done to slow the bleed, engage the pertinent issues winsomely and wisely, and hopefully re-church some of the dechurched.

Accompanying figures are included in the audiobook companion PDF download.

Started well, but some interpretations are iffy.

The book attempts too much. The interpretive second half of the book should have been a separate volume. Instead, to me anyway, the first half feels like an extended sermon illustration. I realize that money drives these things in publishing, but the book feels like an anthology.

Truthful Insight

Grateful for how this book outlines factual data and research on why church attendance and folks relationship with fellowship amongst other church goers has declined and continues to decrease.
The impact of hurtful attitudes, political bullying and self righteous judgment is so pervasive that Christians are not attractive to other Christians let alone non Christians. Prayerfully, Let's do better.
Jesus came to save & love, not judge & condemn.
Thank you.

Good content. Clunky narration.

Ryan Burge produces data that is always important to interact with. This book is no exception. That gets a 5.

The actual reading was not smooth. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was all done in one take. That earns a three.

4* overall.

Come back to church

I appreciated the sociological metrics, binning people into groups, and the personas representing the groups. However, the call to “come back to church” misses the mark. I appreciated the recommendations of how to improve, but missing the call to discipleship and the deep exploration as to whether churches have the ability to adapt to what is necessary to fulfill the mission of God.

A kindred experience

It was both reassuring and a relief to hear someone else put so eloquently the many thoughts that I am feeling in regards to the current state of the church, and Christianity, in our current day. I truly appreciated the data, insight and biblical support found through this book. My friends, love your neighbor. That’s where this all begins to change for the better.