Date

5-1-2025

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Christian Leadership (PhD)

Chair

Steven Smith

Keywords

Church Leadership, Decline in Church Attendance, Millennial Church Attendance, Need for Community

Disciplines

Religion

Abstract

There is a quiet exodus from the church amongst African American female millennials. In church, Christians gather for corporate worship, a renewal of faith through sermons and songs, and to strengthen spiritual formation. This study aimed to highlight the lived experiences to connect church leadership with raw data from a subpopulation that the church cannot leave behind. The theory guiding this study is the Phenomenological Theory as defined by Husserl (1859-1938) and supported by Peoples (2021) as it allows the researcher to uncover the experiences that shaped this population's decision to no longer regularly attend church. Three research questions defined the structure of this qualitative phenomenological study. The criteria for the participants of this study were 10 to 12 African American female millennials who live on the East Coast of the United States, identify as Christians, and have decided to attend church no longer. The researcher collected data through recorded online video interviews and used the NVIVO software package for data analysis. The research identified three main themes: (1) Negative interactions, (2) the need for community, and (3) the need for open communication. The data analysis revealed that negative interactions and the lack of open communication were factors in the decision to no longer regularly attend church from this research population. The study also showed that this population still desires a positive Christian community that values their voice and needs. This research aimed to create a lasting impact within the body of Christ. Future research should focus on additional demographics.

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