111: Why People Are Leaving Church: 7 Reasons Explored

Compass Podcast: Finding the spirituality in the day-to-day

On this episode of Compass: Finding spirituality in the everyday, host Ryan Dunn, a former youth minister, explores the factors that contribute to people leaving the church. Ryan starts by sharing how a student’s experience made him question the effectiveness of ministry for young people. The episode covers seven reasons for people leaving the church, which includes societal changes, abuse in the church, easily-found info online, and the dismissal of skepticism.

For episode notes and more episodes of the Compass Podcast: www.umc.org/compass

In this episode:
(00:00) 7 reasons people leave church
(00:44) Changing relationships
(05:58) Teenage phase is societal construct with implications.
(08:38) Prevent abuse through policies, training, and transparency.
(13:08) Limited faith = people leave to internet.
(16:06) Slow embrace of technology
(19:35) The Gospel of Sin Avoidance
(21:37) Features over experience
(24:05) Final word