This week The Atlantic published a very intriguing piece titled WHY SO MANY AMERICANS HAVE STOPPED GOING TO CHURCH, by Isabel Fattal.
She outlines some pretty astonishing reasons why Americans aren’t going to church anymore, led by research from the forthcoming book The Great Dechurching (a book I plan on adding to my already too long of books I want to read). Fattal’s conclusions have more to do with what American society has become and how we “seem to have forgotten how to create truly deliberate communities with one another.”
Fattal’s anecdotal research includes rethinking our metrics for religious affiliation (instead of just church attendance alone) and asking more of members. “Creating an environment where people can ask more of one another,” Fattal writes, “and give more in turn, seems like a wise rule of thumb for any community.”
A practical and simple first step we can take to join or build community and relationships with people, regardless of religious affiliations, could be fantasy football. Hear me out.
In my column this past week, I argued for playing fantasy football, even if you’re a novice but are desirous of human relationships. For my extra churchy folk, it doesn’t have to be a fantasy football outreach program or ministry. It can be a surface-level social activity to help us further ingratiate ourselves in our communities.
If you’re still unconvinced, check out my column in The Coaches Box titled, “How (and Why) You Should Play Fantasy Football” for Christ and Pop Culture Magazine.
Also, read “Why So Many Americans Have Stopped Going to Church” from The Atlantic.