Rachel Held Evans Defends Leaving Evangelicals for Episcopalians

Gnarwhal · Mar 11, 2015

This was a fantastic read, I'm looking forward to her book that's coming out next month. I think she's profoundly on point!

Q: You say that the way to stop the exodus of millennials from churches isnt cosmetic changes like better music, sleeker logos and more relevant programming. Why are these methods ineffective?

A: These arent inherently bad strategies, and some churches would be wise to employ them. But many church leaders make the mistake of thinking millennials are shallow consumers who are leaving church because they arent being entertained. I think our reasons for leaving church are more complicated, more related to social changes and deep questions of faith than worship style or image.

If you try to woo us back with skinny jeans and coffee shops, it may actually backfire. Millennials have finely tuned B.S. meters that can detect when someones just trying to sell us something. Were not looking for a hipper Christianity. Were looking for a truer Christianity.

Rachel Held Evans Defends Leaving Evangelicals For Episcopalians

Cappadocious · Mar 11, 2015

I think she's probably going to keep acting like an evangelical businesswoman, though. That's a tough habit to shake.

graceandpeace · Mar 18, 2015

Thank you for sharing.

From reading her blog entries here & there in the past, I remember thinking she was articulate & insightful about faith in America, as well as frustrated with much of evangelical or conservative religion.

I came across her name again not too long ago when another blogger quoted her in their blog entry outlining reasons they love the Episcopal Church.

GratiaCorpusChristi · Mar 19, 2015

It's true. We have very finely tuned B.S. meters (whether Millennial or Gen X). And we're extremely critical.

MoreCoffee · Mar 19, 2015

GratiaCorpusChristi said:
It's true. We have very finely tuned B.S. meters (whether Millennial or Gen X). And we're extremely critical.

I think it is likely that every generation has had very well tuned untruth meters even if the nature of the untruth differed a little from generation to generation.

Gnarwhal · Mar 19, 2015

There was another article by Peter Enns that was posted on Reddit yesterday more or less discussing the same topic. One noticed he said the following, "They are not consumers looking for a cool deal. They are looking for meaning, whether their faith matters." and that Mrs. Evans said virtually the same thing in her piece.

So I hope that people in leadership roles are beginning to recognize that Generation Xers and Millennials are not looking for a priced commodity. We're looking for a complex, philosophical, existential, meaningful and most importantly: real faith. Novice Christians might enjoy light shows, and a sermon series on "How to have a better marriage" but anyone who has been a Christian for more than a few years knows that the commercialized version doesn't hold up, it's not sustainable nor will it ever be. If churches invested more time and resources into substance then they would see much better results over the long term.

ImaginaryDay · Mar 19, 2015

It'll be interesting to see the Evangelical response. I get daily facebook posts from a conservative Evangelical blog that I'm sure will jump on this. They're also famous for writing articles on "why are Evangelicals leaving the church?", having no concept of the fact that members are merely going elsewhere.

ETA: This same 'blog' used to have a forum much like this. I was invited to leave and "find a forum that would better suit my posting style". Hello CF! ^_^

PaladinValer · Mar 19, 2015

I think the "tide" will be turning towards more mainstream churches and denominations and away from the postmodernist Evangelical Protestants. Whether it is TEC, the UMC, the EOC, the ELCA or LCMS, or either the PCUSA or PCA, etc; people will be leaving and coming to more traditional Christian bodies.

People want authentic, pure Christianity. To them who turn to us, I say, "welcome home!"

MoreCoffee · Mar 19, 2015

PaladinValer said:
I think the "tide" will be turning towards more mainstream churches and denominations and away from the postmodernist Evangelical Protestants. Whether it is TEC, the UMC, the EOC, the ELCA or LCMS, or either the PCUSA or PCA, etc; people will be leaving and coming to more traditional Christian bodies.

People want authentic, pure Christianity. To them who turn to us, I say, "welcome home!"

I hope that's how it happens but there is also the possibility that many will turn away from the faith for a religion more suited to their wants.

graceandpeace · Mar 19, 2015

Unfortunately, I think many just give up. I know I did for a time. There is a shift in general away from Christianity & organized religion, & I'm not sure there is any stopping that train. It doesn't help that the US is really polarized, not just politically but also within Christian bodies.

However, the good news is that there are voices like Evans, & others who are seeking something deeper in Jesus, in the Church. I think amongst millenials, many want to have a voice or make a difference, & while evangelical bodies generally have been better at recruiting & getting others involved, the long-term appeal of these groups I think could wane. Which means more Christians looking for a more traditional place of worship, which is good...or checking out. I guess time will tell.

MarkRohfrietsch · Mar 19, 2015

Admin Hat...

Thread has been cleaned. Please don't bypass the profanity filter with abbreviations; harmless though it may seem, it's still against our rules.

Thanks,

Mark

Kaonashi · Mar 19, 2015

Great article, I was another one who gave up for a good number of years and only recently came back to Christianity when I discovered the Episcopal Church

Gnarwhal · Mar 19, 2015

PaladinValer said:
I think the "tide" will be turning towards more mainstream churches and denominations and away from the postmodernist Evangelical Protestants. Whether it is TEC, the UMC, the EOC, the ELCA or LCMS, or either the PCUSA or PCA, etc; people will be leaving and coming to more traditional Christian bodies.

People want authentic, pure Christianity. To them who turn to us, I say, "welcome home!"

Indeed. I've finally found where I belong after so many years of searching, I think the Presbyterian Church is where I need to be. I checked out their early morning Traditional service last week and it was exactly what I've been looking for, in some ways I didn't even realize before. So I'm going again this week but I'm already convinced that I want to participate in their membership classes next month.

graceandpeace · Mar 19, 2015

Darth Bagel said:
Indeed. I've finally found where I belong after so many years of searching, I think the Presbyterian Church is where I need to be. I checked out their early morning Traditional service last week and it was exactly what I've been looking for, in some ways I didn't even realize before. So I'm going again this week but I'm already convinced that I want to participate in their membership classes next month.

So good to hear of your positive experience...but if I may humbly offer, jumping into membership classes after only one service sounds rushed. I know you wrote you've been searching for years, so I don't mean to offend. I hope everything works out, wherever you may land. :angel:

GratiaCorpusChristi · Mar 19, 2015

MoreCoffee said:
I think it is likely that every generation has had very well tunes BS meters even if the nature of the BS differed a little from generation to generation.

I dunno. Millennials are incredibly cynical.

ImaginaryDay · Mar 20, 2015

MoreCoffee said:
I hope that's how it happens but there is also the possibility that many will turn away from the faith for a religion more suited to their wants.

I think this is how the Evangelical church is framing it, especially the more conservative bent. I wonder, though, how much of this is true. I've tried to find some real stats on this, but there's not much that's reliable that I've found (so far).

MoreCoffee · Mar 20, 2015

ImaginaryDay said:
I think this is how the Evangelical church is framing it, especially the more conservative bent. I wonder, though, how much of this is true. I've tried to find some real stats on this, but there's not much that's reliable that I've found (so far).

I heard that around 100,000 people in then USA convert to the Catholic faith every year. I think that number is supposed to be adults joining the Catholic Church from either no faith or some other faith.

Gnarwhal · Mar 20, 2015

graceandpeace said:
So good to hear of your positive experience...but if I may humbly offer, jumping into membership classes after only one service sounds rushed. I know you wrote you've been searching for years, so I don't mean to offend. I hope everything works out, wherever you may land.

I agree with you, in the past I've committed too quickly and regretted it.

However, I do have some history with this church. I'm actually very familiar with it, more so than any other church in town except the one I grew up in (although a case could be made that I no longer recognize my old church since it's changed so much in the last 10 years).

About eight years ago my college group merged with theirs, so I was essentially going to their church for about a year. My parents have been going to it for about 2-3 years now and very much love it, I've gone with them several times. It had been one of the top three on my list for quite some time, but going to the Traditional service for the first time was really what confirmed it for me.

ImaginaryDay · Mar 20, 2015

MoreCoffee said:
I heard that around 100,000 people in then USA convert to the Catholic faith every year. I think that number is supposed to be adults joining the Catholic Church from either no faith or some other faith.

I'd also seen some things about millenials leaving the Evangelical church for EO, but I'd have to do some digging to find that again. Either way, I'd like to read some of RHE's thoughts when the book comes out.

MoreCoffee · Mar 20, 2015

ImaginaryDay said:
I'd also seen some things about millenials leaving the Evangelical church for EO, but I'd have to do some digging to find that again. Either way, I'd like to read some of RHE's thoughts when the book comes out.

My thoughts on converting from evangelicalism (in a Presbyterian form) to Catholicism are these.

I wasn't looking for liturgy or sacraments or long sermons or great homilies all I was looking for was a place to listen for God and a place where God listened to me. The Catholic church is very broad and very big so it has room for almost everything; there are charities, brotherhoods, sisterhoods, prayer groups, charismatic people, rosary groups, stations of the cross, silent worship in adoration of the eucharist and so many more that to list them all would exhaust my fingers with typing. But what I found in the Catholic church was dignity and a sense of sacredness and the two things I was looking for - a place to listen for God and a place where God listened to me.

Rachel Held Evans Defends Leaving Evangelicals for Episcopalians

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