unaffiliated

I thought I'd get bored by the problems of the young. But I've grown to cherish interactions with students—especially the religiously unaffiliated.

A new study finds that Americans say they attend religious services more than they actually do. Is this bad news for churches?

I know a guy, a committed church member, who missed his own grandchild's baptism. It was far away, on a Sunday that was a busy one for his own church. So he felt compelled to skip the trip and go to church.

This impressed me. It's hard to imagine such a thing at the church where I work.

Linda A. Mercadante’s study counters those who suggest that the rise of the religiously unaffiliated is tantamount to secularization.

We hear a lot about the "nones" these days: Americans who claim no connection to any particular faith. We'll hear a lot more too, as recent studies document this ever-expanding slice of the American demographic pie. We hear less, however, about the nones as individuals. But like any pastor, I’ve known more than a few in my time. At 20 percent of society, they are literally everybody's friends and neighbors.