Christian Living
![Michael Graham - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B0C4LW34XJ.jpg)
![Jim Davis - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B0C47FWG28.jpg)
The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?
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.
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.
Editorial Reviews
'Few things break my heart like watching friends leave the church behind. The Great Dechurching starts with bad news: I'm not alone. But there's still hope. 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 cohost of Truth over Tribe
'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, PhD, professor and dean, Talbot School of Theology
'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, as valuable as that is. Graham and Davis 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. That analysis and reflection both elevate the book and offer 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, Mere Orthodoxy
'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 at The Gospel Coalition, Bible teacher, and author of From Garden to Glory, In View of God's Mercies, and others
'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 bo...
'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, PhD, professor and dean, Talbot School of Theology
'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, as valuable as that is. Graham and Davis 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. That analysis and reflection both elevate the book and offer 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, Mere Orthodoxy
'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 at The Gospel Coalition, Bible teacher, and author of From Garden to Glory, In View of God's Mercies, and others
'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 bo...
Readers Top Reviews
ohiobaristaC. B.
I had high hopes, having listened to two of the authors on a podcast. Like most people, Davis and Graham can not resist conclusions that are not supported by their data. With the help of Dr. Burge, they have collected some important descriptive statistics that document, in part, what has happened with regard to the decline in church attendance. Any proposal about why these changes happened is not supported by their data. Time and again Davis and Graham responsibly conclude that a phenomena is complex and that the data do not support causation. Then they state that in spite of this they 'have a hunch' about why this happened. I really do believe that they mean well, but they would have produced a much more helpful book had they presented and interpreted the data without "hunches' or the artifice of creating fictional composite characters for each group of 'dechurching' folks the data indicated. I admire their optimism and desire to make a solid contribution to the Kingdom, but their conclusions and thus solutions are just not well supported.
Eyedoc ohiobarist
The depth of research on this book is a staggering - that alone is reason enough to buy. They go deep into the data of why people are leaving the church, and pull out surprising insights on what is actually happening. If this topic interests you at all, you've got to make a point to read and wrestle with their conclusions. Very exciting stuff.
Eyedoc ohiobar
I enjoyed reading this book. The authors did a good job of analyzing the reasons that people were dechurched. The thing I noticed most was the lack of spiritual relationship with God and the of lack connection to leaders in the Church, of those who left. We must pray and follow the leading of the Spirit, to allow us to connect with every person who enters our Church community. As ambassadors for Jesus we must help them understand the Gospel and their need for Jesus the Messiah.
Kyle B. Eyedoc
It's no surprise that people in the US are leaving the church in droves. The Great Dechurching proves this point, but goes far above and beyond. Using academically supported research, The Great Dechurching gives us categories or profiles to understand who is leaving the church and why. Most importantly, the book gives us hope for the future and thoughts for the church moving forward. This book is a must-read for pastors, church leaders or anyone who is interesting in the current cultural climate of the United States. I have greatly benefited from this work and will continue to go back to it.
Laura Ann WiestJ
The great dechurching did a great job of collecting the data for the 1st part of the book. The diagnosis of of what's going on with people leaving the church was excellent. But The solution Lacked Any really good advice for what churches ought to do. Someone like tom rayner Could do a better job of writing the ladder half of this book. Good data collection and interpretation. Poor impractical application.
