Newsletter December 9, 2021

Can Coffee Shops Fill in a Void Left When Churches Disappear?

Daniel A. Cox

As a long-time researcher on religious trends, I’ve spent a good part of my career documenting and discussing the decline of religion in American life. Oftentimes, at the conclusion of a lecture or presentation, I would be met with some combination of consternation and dismay. Then I get the inevitable question: “If religion is going away, what replaces it?”

For those of us concerned about the rise in social isolation, alienation, and friendlessness, America’s religious decline is especially concerning. Formal religious membership has plummeted and only about three in ten Americans report attending religious services at least once a week.

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