Date
11-2019
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Chair
Malcolm Hester
Keywords
Millennials, Church Attendance, Unchurched, Millennial Generation
Disciplines
Christianity | Religion
Recommended Citation
Sumpter, Charles Eugene, "Declining Church Attendance: Five Reasons Why Millennials have Stopped Attending Church" (2019). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2248.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2248
Abstract
During the past decade, every denomination has recorded a decline in church attendance despite a continual increase in the US population. Research organizations including the Barna Group, Pew Research, and the Hartford Institute of Religion Research conducted an untold number of surveys providing statistics that ascertain reasons for declining church attendance and why people are leaving the church. Failure to address the issue of declining attendance will lead to more church failures and an increased number of people with no church affiliation. This research document will review data from the Barna Group, Pew Research, and the Hartford Institute of Religion Research that provides statistics to ascertain reasons for declining church attendance among Millennials. Surveys of Millennials, specifically the unchurched, will be conducted to outline reasons why they have stopped attending church. Finally, this research document will outline five top reasons for the decline in church attendance among Millennials and offer solutions that will help make the worship experience more palatable.