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.

loved this book

inspiring and balanced in challenge of who we should a brother or sister. it also creates new thoughts about the future of the church.

Clarity Of The Departure

As the church of Christ we thought our growth was of our making alone. This book has crushed that theory and has made us revisit the sacred text with fresh eyes. I am praying many will read this work and seek a fresh vision of church in the 21 st century.

Very thought-provoking

A good read. I used some of the statistics and insights in my sermon on Sunday. Thanks to the authors for this project

Nieve and contradictory

authors seem to lay the fault of the rapidly diminishing church in America at the feet of the church itself. while there are many areas for improvement, the issues are far more complex than the over reaching generalizations this book addresses. they seem to think that if the church just listens more and addresses felt needs all will be well. I don't know how much stock to place in asking fallen humans why they reject the church and what the church can do for them to get them back. the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick, who can know it. on top of this, I found the authors contradicting themselves repeatedly throughout the book. Best part of the book was the end, which offered some helpful tips moving forward. if the books would have began with these tips and then unpacked them along the way, it would have been far more beneficial.