Free Republic

Any other institution that lost one-third of its members would want to know why..... The number of people who have left the Catholic church is huge. We all have heard stories about why people leave. Parents share stories about their children. Academics talk about their students. Everyone has a friend who has left. While personal experience can be helpful, social science research forces us to look beyond our circle of acquaintances to see what is going on in the whole church. The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life has put hard...

LOUISVILLE — The Presbyterian Church (USA) has launched a campaign to slow the rate of decline to 5 percent, according to the denomination. "People at the grass roots need hope and motivation," says a spokesman. "This is a positive goal we can all get behind." The Minus 5 Campaign aims to lower the attrition rate in spite of the denomination's continued struggle with moral issues, which has led to even greater exodus of members. Instead of losing 12 to 15 percent of members every decade, the group will now "work in great unity and joy to lose only five percent."...