The Great Decline in Church Attendance: Studying the Trends

Is the church in Canada disappearing? Data collected by StatsCan over the past thirty years shows a steady decline in church attendance among Canadians. And the years over COVID accelerated that trend even further. But what is driving this trend? Who are the people foregoing church? And what does this indicate for the future of Christianity in Canada?Show more

In this episode, Scott and Shawn begin looking at this dechurching phenomenon that is transforming the religious landscape of the west. They look at who are dechurching, and what reasons are being given by those who used to regularly attend and participate in church life, but no longer do.

This is the first episode in our series on “Dechurching”. Our goal is to help you understand what is happening in the church, how Christians should respond, and what we should expect to see happen for this trend to be reversed.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:
- “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Religiosity of Canadians”, Stats Canada: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2022001/article/00005-eng.htm
- The Great DeChurching, by Jim Davis, Michael Graham, With Ryan P. Burge: https://www.christianbook.com/great-dechurching-leaving-going-bring-back/jim-davis/9780310147435/pd/14743X?product_redirect=1&search_term=the%20great&Ntt=14743X&item_code=&ps_exit=PRODUCT
- “Most Teenagers Drop Out of Church When They Become Young Adults”, LifeWay Research: https://research.lifeway.com/2019/01/15/most-teenagers-drop-out-of-church-as-young-adults/
- “10 Reasons Church Attendance Is Declining (Even for Committed Christians”, by Carey Nieuwhof: https://careynieuwhof.com/10-reasons-even-committed-church-attenders-attending-less-often/
- “New American Bible Society Study: Gen Z Exhibits Significant Openness to Scripture”, American Bible Society: https://news.americanbible.org/blog/entry/corporate-blog/gen-z-exhibits-significant-openness-to-scripture
- “Study: Gen Z Wants to Know More About Jesus”, Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/october/gen-z-barna-research-survey-christian-faith-jesus.html

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