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What Is Behind Declining Church Attendance Worldwide?
Why pews are emptying faster than ever
Data and survey firms regularly crunch the numbers on how many people in the U.S. and worldwide attend church services.
If religious leaders are watching those survey results, they are probably feeling increasingly worried, as many such studies indicate that fewer people than ever identify with a specific religion or regularly attend religious services.
One of many questions those religious leaders might have right now is: Why is church attendance declining worldwide?
Church attendance, by the numbers
Recent data from Axios indicates that many churches are struggling.
Over the coming year, it is expected that 15,000 churches in America, in many different denominations, will close their doors. This “unprecedented contraction” comes at the same time as a record number of Americans — 29 percent — report that they have no religious affiliation at all.
There are also signs that church attendance is waning globally, particularly in western Europe. In recent years, headlines about religion have focused on how closing churches and religious buildings are being repurposed — sometimes as nightclubs and other entertainment…
