Church Tomorrow?

“Remarkable . . . a vision for the future that is decidedly not the way we’ve always done it but instead shaped by the way of Jesus and his love.” –from the foreword by Michael B. Curry, former Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church The Nones, Dones, Unchurched, spiritual-but-not-religious (SBNRs). Call them what you will, they're a dominant force in American religion and the majority among Millennials and Gen Zers. In Church Tomorrow? Stephanie Spellers presents hard truths about declining religious affiliation in America, paired with stories and wisdom from her interviews with dozens of young people who either grew up with no faith or gave up formal religion. Along the way, she observes a course called “Becoming Nonreligious in America” at Santa Clara University; in Atlanta, Georgia, she attends Sunday Assembly, a secular congregation that caters to agnostics and atheists; just outside the Twin Cities, she interviews college students and leaders to discover current faith trends; and in New York City she comes home to meet spiritual but not religious young adults who once attended her own church. As she listens and learns, she asks: Why are younger generations passing on church? What spiritual pathways and communities are they creating? And how could their insights help to shape the future of Christian community? Listen up – today’s young Nones and Dones have a prophecy for the church of tomorrow.