Show Notes
Is it the worship? Politics? Programs? That's what we tend to blame. But new data from Pew and PRRI - covering 80,000+ respondents - points to a very different primary reason people leave. Today, we'll unpack what the data actually says, why common assumptions fall short, and what churches can do in response.
============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 3:39 - The #1 Reason People Leave - They Stopped Believing 10:05 - The Quiet Exit - Drift, Not Drama 16:07 - Childhood Experience Is the Strongest Predictor of Whether Someone Stays 29:50 - Scandals and Institutional Distrust 36:49 - Big Takeaways
IMPORTANT LINKS - The Gen Z Church Communication Playbook: https://youtu.be/zQnhOKlV91Q - People Complained Our Church Was Too Loud. So We Did This: https://youtu.be/4ij1tR-EMHE
THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com
GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder: https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com
JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer
ALL CITATIONS PEW RESEARCH CENTER - "Why Do Some Americans Leave Their Religion While Others Stay?" (December 2025, n=8,937 ATP + n=36,908 RLS) — PRIMARY https://pewrsr.ch/3NATWA3 - "Religion Holds Steady in America" (December 2025) — PRIMARY https://pewrsr.ch/4bLrZ1y - "Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off" — Religious Landscape Study (February 2025, n=36,908) — PRIMARY https://pewrsr.ch/4bZp7Nm
PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute) - "Religious Change in America" (March 2024, n=40,000+ via American Values Atlas) — PRIMARY https://bit.ly/4s6Y2xM - "Exodus: Why Americans Are Leaving Religion—and Why They're Unlikely to Come Back" (2016 baseline data) — PRIMARY https://bit.ly/3PGWdu1 - "Religion and Congregations in a Time of Social and Political Upheaval" / Health of Congregations survey (2024) — PRIMARY https://bit.ly/4tjNAUC - "Unveiling the Exodus: Americans' Reasons for Leaving Religious Traditions" (2024) — PRIMARY https://bit.ly/3PRRy8z
SURVEY CENTER ON AMERICAN LIFE / AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE - "Young Women Are Leaving Church in Unprecedented Numbers" (2024) — PRIMARY https://bit.ly/4chJXZK - Note: This is an AEI project, not PRRI — frequently conflated in church media.
PRRI CENSUS OF AMERICAN RELIGION (2024) - Substack analysis by Melissa Deckman (PRRI CEO) — SECONDARY analysis of primary PRRI data https://bit.ly 3PK3I3k
More from The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer
Americans gave a record $617 billion to charity last year. Giving to religion barely kept pace with inflation. Today, we'll unpack what the national research and our own data from $1B+ in church giving reveal - and where churches can respond. ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:41 - The Unexpected Findings - Record Giving, Flat Church Giving 2:05 - 1. More Money. Fewer Givers. 5:58 - Inside Nucleus' Church Giving Data 8:13 - 2. Small Gifts Become Big Annual Support 17:46 - 3. Their Generosity Isn't All Coming to Church 22:01 - 4. Wanting to Give and Being Able to Give Are Different 26:22 - 5. Modelling Financial Stewardship Builds Trust 32:40 - Final Thoughts IMPORTANT LINKS - Church Giving Statistics 2026: https://www.nucleus.church/blog/church-giving-statistics - Nucleus, The Church Website Builder: https://www.nucleus.church - Nucleus Giving Fee Savings Counter: https://www.nucleus.church/giving THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder: https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer ALL CITATIONS GIVING USA - "Charitable Giving Rose to $617.20 Billion in 2025, Surpassing the $600 Billion Mark for the First Time" (Giving USA 2026, covers 2025 giving) — PRIMARY https://givingusa.org/giving-usa-charitable-giving-rose-to-617-20-billion-in-2025-surpassing-the-600-billion-mark-for-the-first-time/ FUNDRAISING EFFECTIVENESS PROJECT - "Full-Year 2025 Findings" (via AFP Global) — PRIMARY https://afpglobal.org/news/fundraising-effectiveness-project-reports-strongest-revenue-growth-five-years-even-fewer Note: Broad nonprofit dataset, not church-specific. GIVELIFY - "Giving in Faith: 2025-2026 Church Giving" — PRIMARY https://www.givelify.com/giving-in-faith/2025-2026-church-giving Note: Describes Christian donors, not all Americans. LAKE INSTITUTE ON FAITH & GIVING - Insights (July 14, 2026) — SECONDARY https://lakeinstitute.org/resource-library/insights/july-14-2026/ ABOUT ME Well hey there! I'm Brady Shearer, the creator and director of Pro Church Tools. I started this channel more than 10 years ago. Today our company is a team of 30+ creatives dedicated to helping your church navigate the biggest communication shift in 500 years.
Rural pastors name resistance to change and tight budgets among their biggest challenges. Yet 88% expect their church to be stronger in ten years. Today, we'll unpack what rural pastors count as success - and why presence beats programs. ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:39 - The Unexpected Findings - 88% Expect a Stronger Church 5:48 - 1. Their Scoreboard Is Bigger 12:16 - 2. Five People 16:44 - 3. Showing Up Counts 23:13 - 4. Your Town Remembers 24:48 - 5. Don't Romanticize the Struggle 26:36 - Simple Exercise - Define "Stronger in Ten Years" 28:45 - Final Thoughts - Hope Takes Work ALL CITATIONS LIFEWAY RESEARCH - "Rural Churches Today: Pastor Report" (October 2025, n=1,000+) — PRIMARY https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-Rural-Churches-Today-Pastor-Report-Final.pdf - "Rural Churches Today: Pastor Qualitative Report" (October 2025) — PRIMARY https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-Rural-Churches-Today-Pastor-Qualitative-Report-Final.pdf - "Rural Church Pastors Face Obstacles With Optimism" (October 23, 2025) — PRIMARY https://research.lifeway.com/2025/10/23/rural-church-pastors-face-obstacles-with-optimism/ THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder: https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer ABOUT ME Well hey there! I'm Brady Shearer, the creator and director of Pro Church Tools. I started this channel more than 10 years ago. Today our company is a team of 30+ creatives dedicated to helping your church navigate the biggest communication shift in 500 years.
91% of pastors are married. Only 46% of the adults they're trying to reach are. Today, we'll unpack how the American family has changed - and two simple exercises to spot the assumptions your church doesn't know it's making. ============================= Table of Contents: ============================= 0:00 - Intro 0:49 - The Asymmetrical Report - 91% vs 46% 6:05 - 1. The "Normal Family" Is Now the Minority 7:49 - 2. Pastors Live in a Different Reality 12:27 - 3. We Want Their Labor More Than Their Lives 14:25 - 4. Adulthood No Longer Follows a Tidy Timeline 19:58 - Exercise 1 - Audit Ten Sermons 27:00 - Exercise 2 - Test Six Real People 29:33 - Final Thoughts THE 167 NEWSLETTER 📫 62,646+ churches read our free newsletter to figure out the 167 hours beyond Sunday service every week. Sign up: https://167.prochurchtools.com GET IN TOUCH 🌍 The Company: https://prochurchtools.com 🖥️ Nucleus, The Church Website Builder: https://www.nucleus.church 📱 SocialSermons, The Social Media Agency For Churches: https://socialsermons.com JOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradyshearer/ 🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bradyshearer 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradyshearer ALL CITATIONS BARNA GROUP - "2025 Family Trends" (2025) — PRIMARY https://www.barna.com/research/2025-family-trends/ - "Pastors and Today's Families" — PRIMARY https://www.barna.com/trends/pastors-and-todays-families/ U.S. CENSUS BUREAU - "Families and Living Arrangements" (2025) — PRIMARY https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/families-and-living-arrangements.html - "Milestones to Adulthood" (August 2025) — PRIMARY https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/08/milestones-to-adulthood.html LIFEWAY RESEARCH - "Pastors Minister to Single Adults, Some Provide Specific Ministries for Them" (August 2022) — PRIMARY https://research.lifeway.com/2022/08/16/pastors-minister-to-single-adults-some-provide-specific-ministries-for-them/ PEW RESEARCH CENTER - Adults living without a spouse or partner (2023 data) — study not specified in script ABOUT ME Well hey there! I'm Brady Shearer, the creator and director of Pro Church Tools. I started this channel more than 10 years ago. Today our company is a team of 30+ creatives dedicated to helping your church navigate the biggest communication shift in 500 years.
The number of Christians whose friends don't know they're Christian has more than doubled since 2013. The easy explanation is that nobody wants to hear about faith anymore.
Churches have never published more content on more platforms. So why does everything feel harder?