Date
9-17-2026
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Leadership (PhD)
Chair
Jacob Dunlow
Keywords
church attendance, young adult “dropouts, ” forced terminations, multiple regression, population samples, unbiased and objective
Disciplines
Christianity
Recommended Citation
Jhingree, Chastity Selma, "A Mixed-Method Investigation Into a Possible Correlation Between Forced Terminations Among Church Members, an Exodus of Young Adults, and an Exponential Decay in Church Attendance" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8933.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8933
Abstract
In the preservation of the biblical church, church members are mandated in the Face of God (Coram Deo) to feed all Christians with the Word of God. However, extant literature reveals a major crisis confronting the church: the exponential decay in church attendance. Therefore, the overarching question is: how can church members feed on and receive the Word of God when church attendance continues to decline? Forced terminations and an exodus of young adults from the church were examined in an investigation to determine whether they significantly contributed to the decline in church attendance. A mixed-methods research design was used to explore, analyze, and determine the relationship, if any, between forced terminations, an exodus of young adults, and an exponential decay in church attendance. Survey instrumentation, in conjunction with a multiple regression analysis of existing archival datasets, was used to determine whether any correlations existed between the variables. The study found that forced terminations and the exodus of young adults were not solely responsible for the decline in church attendance, as the results were not statistically significant.
