Why are so many Americans leaving church?  

Millions of Americans are leaving church. Are they also leaving their faith?   

Thirty years ago, about 90 percent of Americans identified as Christian. Today, that’s dropped to about 60 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of people without any religious affiliation at all continues to grow.

For some, the decision to leave is rooted in conflict and pain. But for most people, the reasons for leaving church are a lot more mundane.

MPR News guest host Kelly Gordon talks with a researcher and a pastor about the historic exodus from Christian congregations, what some have called the “great de-churching.”

Guests:  

• Paul Djupe is a professor of political science at Denison University in Granville, Ohio where he studies religion and politics and directs the Data for Political Research program. He’s also a scholar with the Public Religion Research Institute, editor of the Religious Engagement in Democratic Politics series with Temple University Press and a former editor of the journal Politics & Religion. He blogs at Religion in Public. 

• Osheta Moore is a pastor at Roots Moravian Church in St. Paul, alongside her husband. She previously was an outreach and teaching pastor at Woodland Hills Church in Maplewood. She’s a speaker, spiritual director and a writer who’s been published in a variety of Christian publications. She is also the author of two books, including the recent “Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace.” 

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Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.