Nondenominational churches now have largest share of church-goers in US
The share of Americans who identify with Protestant denominations has slipped to around 10%.
by The Rural Blog
The Rural Blog
Published Jan. 16, 2023
Updated: 1:59 pm Jan. 16, 2023
Americansā āchurch membership, church attendance and belief in God all declined during the pandemic years,ā but the growing membership in nondenominational Christian churches gave that largely unorganized group its first plurality among U.S. believers, Daniel de VisĆ© writes for The Hillās āChanging Americaā series.
āAt least one-fifth of Americans today embrace no religion at all,ā DeVisĆ© notes, citing polls.
āA similar share tell pollsters they do not believe in God, an all-time high. The lone, striking counter-trend is a steep rise in nondenominational Protestants.ā
They became a plurality among U.S. Protestants in 2021, āsignaling a new era of churches and clergies untethered from religious tradition.ā
DeVisĆ© reports, āSince the 1970s, the share of Americans who identified as Baptists, Methodists and other Protestant denominations has slipped from more than 30 percent to around 10 percent. In the same span, the share of nondenominational Protestants has exploded. The 2020 U.S. Religion Census found 6.5 million more nondenominational congregants and thousands more churches than in 2010.ā
DeVisĆ© quotes Daniel Silliman, writing in Christianity Today: āIf ānondenominationalā were a denomination, it would be the largest Protestant one, claiming more than 13 percent of churchgoers in America.ā
This is a fundamental change in a key element of American society.
DeVisĆ© notes, āMultigenerational communities formed around the Baptist and Methodist churches that dominated town squares for generations. By contrast, nondenominational churches often thrive on their otherness, attracting congregants who mistrust ancient American institutions.ā
The pandemic spurred the decline of traditional church affiliation. āIn-person church attendance plummeted by 45 percentin the pandemic, according to an ABC News analysis,ā DeVisĆ© reports. āMost churches have reopened, but not all congregants have returned. ā¦ The share of Americans who belong to churches dipped below half in 2020, a historic low, according to Gallup polling.ā
At the same time, many of those who say they identify with no religion say they consider religion important in their lives, DeVisƩ reports.