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For mainline Christians, there was some panic a few years ago when we first learned of the “Rise of the Nones.” Now, the Pew Research Center has dropped the sequel on us: “Attack of the Nones.” According to their latest study, there are now more self-reported religiously unaffiliated people in the US than there are mainline Christians.
So what do we do now? Pull the townsfolk within the castle walls, use the rest of our provisions, and sing worship songs until we’ve tapped the last of the wine (and grape juice) and our fortresses are overrun by unaffiliated folks who will turn our beloved buildings into hip restaurants?
That’s most likely how mainline denominations will react. We’ve been pretty good at it for almost 50 years, so why stop now? Others, however, will double down on the hustle - “church growth” strategies and reorganizing the deck chairs.
But is that who we are called to be? Our desperation to continue to battle the church growth wars (which we already lost a long time ago) reminds me of one of the core themes of the Bible. If you’ve never picked-up on it, there’s this pattern throughout the Hebrew Bible where the Israelites keep having terrible things happen to them, like losing wars and being taken into exile. They keep wondering why God is doing these terrible things to them. The first chapter of Isaiah, however, reminds us that suffering is not because we’re not fighting hard enough or worshipping God loudly enough:
12 When you come to appear before me,
who asked this from your hand?
Trample my courts no more;
13 bringing offerings is futile;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation –
I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you stretch out your hands.
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
What’s happening is not a punishment from God for not being “religious” enough, but a natural consequence of not taking care of one another, and they're reminded of what they should have been doing all along:
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings
from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.
Again, in the Gospels, Jesus' reaction to Roman occupation wasn't to create more religious bureaucracy, but to be more compassionate, to feed people, resist injustice and oppression, offer forgiveness, and to love one another.
Christianity’s share of the religious market share isn’t declining because our pastors aren’t working hard enough or because our worship services don’t have enough lasers and fog machines, it’s precisely because we’re concerned about marketshare in the first place. The Pew findings are, once again, a wake-up call to change that.
Here are my suggestions on how to respond to the implications of this new study:
Don’t freak out. People aren’t walking away from healthy, life-giving, loving, and transformative religion, they're refusing to participate in things that are exclusive, judgmental, hypocritical, and uninteresting. In other words, they're walking away from places where God’s presence has been overshadowed by the human need for success, power, and control.
Don’t be tempted by gimmicks. This is not the time to open a church coffee shop, because coffee shop.
Stop worrying about metrics. The results of this study will put more stress on those at the top of denominational hierarchies to improve worship, membership, and financial numbers. Those at the top will press more technical solutions and best practices that will only hasten decline of the institution and the mental/physical/spiritual health of its leaders.
Create space for people to tell their stories … and actually listen to them. People who are leaving religion or are uninterested in even checking it out are, in general, not lazy and selfish “nones,” they are human beings who all have a story to tell. They have stories you need to hear and that you need to care about. Not because you need to design a better bait to hook them with, but because they are human and their stories and experiences matter. If we’ve gotten to a place where we lack empathy for others because they don’t want to be a part of our “thing,” then it’s time to rethink how and why we do what we do.
Create space for people to be in community and be present in the spaces where community happens. Your church is hopefully a place where people can gather and feel God’s love and compassion, however, if it’s not, figure out why. If it is, remember that it may be just one of many places where community happens. Go gather with your neighbors in restaurants and bars, parks, and community festivals. Gather with your jewish neighbors, muslim neighbors, atheist and agnostic neighbors - again, not to hook them, but to be in relationship with them.
Double down on kingdom work - love God and love neighbor. What is your church known for in the community? Are you proud to be known for whatever that is? Would Jesus be proud? Are you taking an active part in making your community a better place?
The implications of the study are not that Christianity is done for, they are that we’re finally going to be able to shed the big box store we’ve been calling "church." Something new and beautiful is emerging that looks little like what we’re used to.
For those of us who are progressive and are a part of mainline denominations, we have an amazing opportunity here. For the moment, we’ve got the resources and a theology that puts us on the leading edge of what God is calling the Church to next. However, we’ve got a choice to make - we can barricade ourselves inside our walls, we can try and be Walmart, or we can truly get to know our neighbors and let what God is doing through those relationships draw us into what’s next.
Our brothers and sisters who do not claim any religious affiliation are not the death of us. They are our salvation.
Rob Rynders
The Rev. Rob Rynders
The Rev. Rob Rynders is the co-founder and current co-pastor of City Square Church, a new and innovative United Methodist faith community in downtown Phoenix. In 2010 Rob founded the LEAD Conference, an annual event that brings together entrepreneurial leaders and creatives to share new ideas and innovations aimed at bringing positive transformation to the world.