“Every pastor should read this. . . . Every believer who has ever despaired of church, been tempted to quit, or struggled with guilt over leaving should, too” (Rod Dreher). Americans still believe in God, but they are leaving the church in record numbers. Why are the faithful fleeing? Julia Duin, a veteran journalist and a Christian, has collected the research and added insights from interviews with disillusioned followers, as well as from her own story. In this engrossing account of churches in decline, Duin visits numerous churches and explores a number of factors underlying the social shift away from church: irrelevant teaching, the neglect of singles, the marginalization of women, and a lack of authentic spiritual power. She also journeys into house churches and emergent congregations. Duin’s careful analysis is sure to help church leaders and churchgoers examine how they might better serve their communities and create inviting spiritual homes for people of all kinds. “Engaging . . . as religion editor for the Washington Times, [Duin] is in her element marshaling statistics, interviewing authors and clergy, and commenting on the trend of faithful evangelicals who increasingly vote with their feet by leaving their churches.” —Publishers Weekly

Let's face it. Church isn't working. We hear sermons about the abundant life Jesus promised, but how many of us are actually living it? How many of our churches are thriving? How many people in our congregations are experiencing God's blessings? Maybe it's time to call it quits. Quit church? Well, not exactly. Drawing from his experience coaching hundreds of churches toward true growth, Chris Sonksen calls on us to quit our casual, cultural commitment to church as we know it. No more half-hearted attempts to win the favor of God and other people by doing the right thing. No more doing things out of a sense of duty. Instead, Sonksen reveals the spiritual habits that release the blessings of God, both on each individual and on the church. He explains why we struggle to put these practices into action and gives practical solutions to move us forward into health, growth, and maturity.

Tells how a renowned preacher left her ministry to rediscover the authentic heart of her faith. A moving reflection on keeping faith amidst the relentless demands of modern life.

NATIONWIDE POLLS AND DENOMINATIONAL REPORTS ARE SHOWING THAT THE NEXT GENERATION IS CALLING IT QUITS ON THE TRADITIONAL CHURCH.

How did Christ imagine church and faith? Did he imagine the Sunday-Christian or the wholly immersed believer? In this book, Bob Hostetler tells readers to QUIT GOING TO CHURCH, and renew their walk of faith. What drives people to enter the doors of churches every Sunday? It could be habit, living up to expectations, a sense of duty, or even guilt. People seem to be living "churchanity" rather than Christianity. This thought provoking and "pull-off-the-gloves" book is based on the premise that much of how we think and act, a great percentage of what we do these days as church-going people, bears only a slight resemblance to the way of Jesus and "the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 1:3). With titles like "Quit Going to Church" and "Quit Sharing Your Faith," each chapter issues an eyebrow-raising challenge, showing how many of us have misunderstood even distorted the Good News of Jesus and replaced Christianity with something else.

This book is for anyone who has dropped out of church or is seriously concerned about some of the things happening with the church. It will provide serious reflections to help you better understand the concerns of many more like you.