{"id":32696,"date":"2022-09-10T16:19:37","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:19:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/most-pastors-know-of-deconstruction-fewer-see-it-in-their-pews\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:19:37","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:19:37","slug":"most-pastors-know-of-deconstruction-fewer-see-it-in-their-pews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/most-pastors-know-of-deconstruction-fewer-see-it-in-their-pews\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Pastors Know of Deconstruction, Fewer See It in Their Pews"},"content":{"rendered":"
Haley Hamilton photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

Almost 3 in 4 pastors are familiar with deconstruction, and 27% of those say people in their churches have deconstructed their faith.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Aaron Earls<\/em><\/p>\n

For some pastors, the only construction projects they worry about are building renovations, but others say they\u2019re facing churchgoers who are tearing down aspects of their faith.<\/p>\n

A Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant pastors finds almost 3 in 4 (73%) are familiar with the concept of deconstruction, and more than a quarter (27%) of those say people in their churches have deconstructed their faith.<\/p>\n

When asked how familiar they are with \u201cthe concept of an individual deconstructing their faith in which they systematically dissect and often reject Christian beliefs they grew up with,\u201d 25% of pastors say they are very familiar, 21% say familiar and 27% say somewhat familiar. While 12% say they\u2019re not that familiar with the concept, 14% say they haven\u2019t heard the term before, and 1% aren\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n

14% of U.S. Protestant pastors say they've never heard of the concept of "deconstruction" before. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

\u201cIn recent years many Americans have stopped associating themselves with Christian churches,\u201d said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. \u201cWhile surveys have shown that many who don\u2019t attend or claim to belong to a church still maintain many Christian beliefs, for a noticeable minority, the journey away from the Christian church begins with a change in beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Age and education are key indicators of how knowledgeable a pastor may be about the concept. Younger pastors, those 18-44, are the most likely to say they\u2019re very familiar with deconstruction (36%), while pastors 65 and older are the least likely to possess that same level of familiarity (12%). Pastors with doctoral degrees are the education level most likely to be very familiar (43%), and those with no college degree are the least likely (8%). Pastors without a college degree are also the most likely to say they\u2019ve never heard the term before (27%).<\/p>\n

Younger pastors are three times as likely as older pastors to say they're very familiar with faith deconstruction (36% vs. 12%). Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

Additionally, African American pastors (24%) are more likely than white pastors (13%) to say they\u2019ve never heard of deconstruction before. Female pastors are twice as likely as male pastors (22% vs. 11%) to say they\u2019re completely unfamiliar with the concept. Pastors in the West (20%) are more likely than those in the Midwest (11%) to say they\u2019re completely unaware of deconstruction.<\/p>\n

Deconstruction zone in the pews<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Among pastors who are familiar with the concept of deconstruction, around a quarter say they\u2019ve recently seen the effects in their congregations. More than 1 in 4 (27%) U.S. Protestant pastors who have heard the term before say they\u2019ve had attendees of their church who have methodically deconstructed their faith in the past two years. Close to 7 in 10 (68%) say that hasn\u2019t been the case for them. Another 5% aren\u2019t sure.<\/p>\n

Among U.S. Protestant pastors who are familiar with the concept, more than 1 in 4 (27%) say they\u2019ve had attendees of their church who have methodically deconstructed their faith in the past two years. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

\u201cThe use of the term \u2018deconstruction\u2019 emerged in the last few years and has been used both by those questioning their own beliefs and those desiring to help them find the truth,\u201d said McConnell. \u201cDespite the growing awareness among pastors, it may be easier to find people in the midst of deconstructing their faith on social media than within churches.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Although much of the conversation surrounding deconstruction centers on experiences within evangelical churches, evangelical pastors who are familiar with the term are not likely to be familiar with it in their pews. Evangelical pastors who have heard of deconstruction are more likely than their mainline counterparts to say they haven\u2019t had churchgoers deconstruct their faith in the past two years (72% vs. 62%). Denominationally, Baptist pastors (75%) are also more likely than those who are Presbyterian\/Reformed (64%), Methodist (63%) or Restorationist Movement (55%) to say they haven\u2019t seen deconstruction among attendees at their churches.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the growing awareness among pastors, it may be easier to find people in the midst of deconstructing their faith on social media than within churches.\u201d \u2014 @smcconn Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

The deconstructionist trend is also less likely to be happening at smaller churches, at least according to their pastors who have heard of the term. Those at churches with worship service attendance of fewer than 50 are the least likely (16%) to say this has happened to one of their churchgoers in the past two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Matthew 11, Jesus tells the parable of the sower who sowed seeds to illustrate that people who hear the word about his kingdom react in different ways,\u201d said McConnell. \u201cSome go on to produce fruit, others abandon it immediately and others embrace it for a time before the seed is scorched or choked out. While the number who react in each way may change over time, each response to the message of Jesus\u2019 kingdom persists today.”<\/p>\n

For more information, view the complete report.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Aaron Earls<\/h2>\n

@WardrobeDoor<\/p>\n

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Aaron is a writer for LifewayResearch.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n