Reports from Faith Community Leaders in the South

Cities in the Southeastern United States that are experiencing population growth offer a counter-narrative to media reports of religious disaffiliation. Against the backdrop of data sets and broad surveys, a glimpse into the challenges and successes of individual faith community leaders in a small but growing Southern city provides a more hopeful perspective. While some aspects of the disaffiliation story, particularly millennial disengagement, mirror national trends, in parts of the coastal Southeast, religious belief and practice are flourishing relative to the rest of the country. Combining extensive interviews of several local faith community leaders with the voices of millennials grappling with their faith, the author reflects upon cultural and parental factors in religious decline, identifies a few signs of hope, and suggests ways that existing communities of faith might draw in those of all ages who are spiritual seekers, through listening responsively, thinking creatively about ways to reach out, and offering radical hospitality.