Pastors Jim Davis and Michael Graham saw the issue playing out firsthand, but without reliable data, they had only anecdotal evidence to rely on to address the issue. The pastors commissioned the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind on American dechurching. More than 7,000 participants over three phases, churched and unchurched from all faith traditions, were surveyed by renowned sociologists, Dr. Ryan Burge and Dr. Paul Djupe to drill down on how and why people are dechurching.
The results were both more shocking and hopeful than expected. In The Great Dechurching, Davis and Graham share insights from the study to give the church its first ever deep dive into the phenomenon. Readers will learn about the dechurched through a detailed sketch of demographics, size, core concerns, church off-ramps, and historical roots. They will also help pastors and church leaders explore why congregants are leaving, what can be done to slow the exodus, how to engage the pertinent issues and what role the church and individuals can play in shepherding the dechurched back into the fold.
The Rechurching Toolkit has a 20 point checklist of the areas that most impact dechurching. This includes things like processes for those who are moving, membership processes, formation and discipleship, mental health plan, abuse prevention, navigating polarizing cultural conversations, digital footprint, exegeting your context, outlining the physical and spiritual needs of your community, doctrinal clarity, and missional focus.
The Rechurching Toolkit has a 20 point checklist of the areas that most impact dechurching. This includes things like processes for those who are moving, membership processes, formation and discipleship, mental health plan, abuse prevention, navigating polarizing cultural conversations, digital footprint, exegeting your context, outlining the physical and spiritual needs of your community, doctrinal clarity, and missional focus.
Jim Davis (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary) is teaching pastor at Orlando Grace Church (Acts 29) and host of the As in Heaven podcast. Jim and his wife, Angela, speak for Family Life’s Weekend to Remember marriage getaways. They have four kids. You can follow him on Twitter.
Michael Graham is program director for The Keller Center. He is also the executive producer and writer of As In Heaven. He is a member at Orlando Grace Church. He is married to Sara, and they have two kids.
"This is one of those books I wish did not have to be written—but it did—on a topic I wish we didn’t have to think about—but we do. I am so glad Jim Davis, Michael Graham, and Ryan Burge have teamed up to do it. We need responsible voices analyzing what is happening, and that makes me especially grateful for the way these authors approach the subject of dechurching.
This book is a clarion call, but it is not without hope or counsel. Instead of the mere pragmatism that often characterizes projects like this, the authors offer theological, confessional, and catechetical recommendations with ecclesiological convictions. The reader will still have to do the hard work of application to his or her own situation, but the reflection and action this book will spark could be significant. God is always up to something in moments like this, and we want to respond in wisdom and faithfulness to be instruments for his good purposes."
—Ligon Duncan, Chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary
"We all know that an annual physical is important; most of us also see it as more of an inconvenience than anything else. But talk to one close friend or family member who discovers a life-threatening health issue that could have been prevented had they not neglected their physical for years and suddenly the annual checkup seems less of a hassle. After ignoring obvious symptoms for decades, the church needs lab work to assess her health. In The Great Dechurching Jim Davis and Michael Graham with researcher Ryan Burge do just that, and their diagnosis is generally not encouraging. But the book does far more than offer an empirical diagnosis; they offer a plan of care for the church that can lead to renewed life in our churches, the return of many dechurched, and a greater gospel impact in our world."
—Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., professor and dean, Talbot School of Theology
"Every church leader—either lay leader or ordained—needs to read this book to understand who is leaving churches, why they are leaving, and what it will take to bring them back. The Great Dechurching overflows with practical wisdom about the sobering reality of dechurching. While there is top level assessment of the numbers, the heart of the book is about people we all know and love. I am giving copies of this book to the clergy in the diocese where I serve and I will assign it for the seminary courses I teach."
—Justin S. Holcomb, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, seminary professor, and author
"If you know someone who used to go to church and now doesn’t, this book is for you. Jim Davis and Michael Graham have written a timely, necessary, and extremely beneficial resource that will compel and prepare those of us in the church to reach out to those who have left. The Great Dechurching is full of robust research that offers real hope and true help. This might be one of the most significant books you will read. May God use it to call many back to his beloved bride, the church. "
—Courtney Doctor, Director of Women’s Initiatives, The Gospel Coalition Bible teacher and author of From Garden to Glory, In View of God’s Mercies, and others.
"Many Christian leaders and commentators have commented on trends in American church life. All of them will find something in The Great Dechurching that surprises them. But the appeal of this book isn't just bound up in the data it shares, valuable as that is. Graham and Davis themselves offer much in the way of shrewd analysis of the data and sober reflection on what it means for the life of the church in America. It is that analysis and reflection which both elevates the book and offers to followers of Jesus a vision for how the next chapter of the Christian movement in America can be better than the one now coming to a close."
—Jake Meador, Editor-in-chief at Mere Orthodoxy
"Few things break my heart like watching friends leave the church behind. The Great Dechurching starts with bad news: I'm not alone. America is undergoing the largest, fastest religious shift in its history. 40 million people have left the church. But there's still hope. Many dechurched Americans are open to coming back. Using insights drawn from Jim Davis and Michael Graham's writing, we've welcomed hundreds of dechurched people into our local church community, where they can encounter Jesus and construct life-changing relationships."
—Patrick Miller, Pastor, author, and co-host of Truth Over Tribe
In The Great Dechurching, readers will find a detailed sketch of:
The Great Dechurching is a wakeup call for the American church. But all is not lost. Davis and Graham have also found numerous reasons to stay hopeful, and they offer invaluable advice for what can be done to engage the dechurched with relational wisdom and heal the ruptures in our churches to stem the tide of the Great Dechurching.
