Cliques, exclusion top reasons Americans aren’t getting more involved in their churches: survey

August 12, 2024

The latest installment of the American Bible Society’s “State of the Bible 2024” report appears to show cliques and exclusion as primary reason American’s aren’t more involved in their churches.

The Christian Post reports that the survey of 2,506 adults in the United States, taken between Jan 4-Jan 23, 2024, sought to evaluate the factors that that lead Americans to become more or less involved in their church congregations.

Participants in the survey were asked which positive experiences increase their “level of participation in a church, temple or faith community.”

55% of respondents identified a “feeling of community and belonging” as a key factor in making them want to get more involved in their respective faith communities. 53% said “shared spiritual beliefs and faith,” were a key factor and 51% cited a sense of “meaning and purpose.”

Over half of the respondents did not report any negative experiences at their church, temple or faith community that would cause them to scale back on their level of participation. However, 20% of those surveyed reported that “exclusion or cliques within the faith community” were the most common negative experience.

According to the Christian Post, other factors that caused people to decrease their involvement at church included, judgment or condemnation for beliefs or lifestyle choices, disagreement with biblical teachings, financial improprieties, spiritual manipulation or abuse and feeling unsafe. 

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