According to a recent Gallup pole, fewer and fewer Americans are going to church. What does that mean for America?

Over the past decades, the US has experienced what some authors and sociologists call “the great dechurching”. This trend goes beyond a simple decline in church attendance. It represents a deeper cultural shift — one where more Americans are becoming dechurched, or permanently splitting with organized religion, rather than taking a temporary break.

Understanding the dechurching meaning and dechurching definition helps us see that this is not just secularization. People who are dechurching are realizing that religion is no longer for them, and making a decision to leave their church.

If we examine the dechurched meaning, those who are dechurched are not necessarily anti-faith — they are often exploring more personal forms of spirituality, or simply deciding that they no longer want to participate in religious obligations or traditions they no longer agree with.

The dechurched population continues to grow even as fewer people identify strongly with traditional denominations. This supports the claim that the great dechurching is real and accelerating. A good summary about the great dechurching would note that this trend is partly reactive to the churches scandals and failures, and partly proactive, meaning people have a desire for authenticity, self-exploration and autonomy.

So how great is the great dechurching? Let’s look at some of the benefits.

Personal Benefits: Real Spiritual Freedom

On a personal level, dechurching offers a pathway to what I’d call real spiritual freedom. That includes freedom from spirituality — the freedom to choose no spiritual system, to be an Atheist, or to explore different paths without guilt or pressure.

The faster dechurching happens, the sooner more Americans can feel free to explore what genuinely interests them spiritually, which includes Atheism.

In effect, dechurching is a liberation from spiritual obligation, enabling individuals to reimagine their inner lives without assuming church membership is required.

Societal Benefits: Diversity, Tolerance and Renewal

At the societal level, the dechurching process can foster greater religious pluralism, tolerance, and a healthier relationship between faith and public life.

When institutional religion loses its monopoly on legitimacy, new voices and perspectives emerge unshackled by dogma. The decline of the American church signals that society is ready for a more open marketplace of belief. Just as dechristianization of Europe (a more pronounced version) reshaped European identity, America’s dechurching can refresh civic institutions, reducing the power imbalances that once favored established religious hierarchies.

Moreover, the movement to deconstruct the church invites the questioning of power, doctrine and cultural assumptions. This critical self-examination can lead to renewed, reimagined spiritual communities — ones grounded less in institutional inertia and more in ethical, compassionate practice.

National Benefits: Civic Vitality & Freedom of Conscience

Nationally, the pace and extent of dechurching can support the foundational principle of freedom of conscience. A society that’s not weighed down by one religious institution can better guarantee that no single faith can have too much influence over public policy, education or law.

If America’s institutions — political, legal, social — stop borrowing legitimacy from religious authority, then pluralism and liberty deepen. The sooner America fully dechurches, the sooner American citizens can enjoy more equal freedoms.

Current political elections have shown that many Americans vote for candidates who support their religious beliefs. Imagine if Americans voted for candidates that represented everyone’s needs, not just the needs of one religious group?

A Call to Embrace the Great Dechurching

The great dechurching is not merely a decline, but a realignment. As Americans loosen institutional grips, new forms of spiritual life, community and purpose can emerge. The quicker dechurching occurs, the sooner our society grants each person real choice: to believe, not because of obligation or tradition, but because of meaning. And in that moment, we may achieve the deeper ideal of spiritual liberty, even including freedom from spirituality itself.

If you are considering dechurching, or think you may be having a crisis of faith, here are some things to think about. It may seem scary, but it’s a big step toward personal freedom.