Must-Reads on Religious Decline in America

Barna's Must-Reads on Religious Decline in America

The recent release from Pew on religious affiliation in the U.S. and the continuing rise of the "Nones" confirms the trends Barna Group has identified over the past decade. Based on data from more than one hundred thousand interviews, Barna has found that religious identity is only one aspect of faith's changing landscape. More than 30 years of studying Christian belief and activity in America has revealed that diminished church attendance is one of the first indicators of a waning faith. In other words, people usually drop out of church before they drop out of Christianity.

Dropouts are the canary in the coalmine of declining religious identity. And, while church attendance has been steadily on the decline for decades, Millennials in particular are dropping out of church at an accelerated pace.

To understand these trends—increasing churchlessness across all age groups, growing secularization and young adults dropping out of church and faith—read the most-referenced articles on barna.org that explore our research on these topics.