Why Aren't Deconstructing Evangelicals Joining Your Church?

Hint: It's not your theology.

A gay man walked into an LGBTQ-affirming mainline church last week for the first time since leaving evangelicalism. During worship, as the congregation stood, the woman behind him tapped his shoulder with her bulletin. "You need to remove your hat," she told him. "You're in church." He won't be back, but he took the time to make an Instagram video about the visit.

If you spend any time in Christian circles, you have heard the term "deconstruction" either in a positive or negative light. Deconstruction has become a movement for those who are asking deep questions and leaving evangelical churches in the USA. While some may see deconstruction as the end of a person's faith journey, more often it is just questioning and possibly leaving a tradition they find no longer aligns with their personal values or historic Christian teachings outside American evangelicalism. Some become "nones" - those with no religious affiliation who wouldn't call themselves atheists but don't see religion or church attendance as a priority. But many deconstructing evangelicals still want church - just not the one they left.

Political scientist and religion researcher Ryan Burge's analysis reveals something mainline leaders need to understand, what looked like evangelical growth in the 1980s and 1990s was largely transfer growth, not new Christians. In 1975, mainline Protestants made up 30% of Americans while evangelicals were 21%. By 1983, those numbers had flipped - evangelicals surpassed mainline as former mainliners had born-again experiences and switched traditions.

Evangelicalism peaked in the early 1990s. But it wasn't the Church growing - people were just moving between traditions.

Today, evangelicals are back around 22-23%, roughly where they were in the 1970s, while mainline churches have continued their decline. Meanwhile, the "nones" with no religious affiliation have grown from 5% in the 1970s to over 25% today. Overall church attendance is declining across all traditions.

But here's what mainline churches are missing with deconstruction: a reverse transfer could be happening now. We now have a generation whose entire faith foundation was built in evangelical churches. For many, worship felt more like entertainment than formation, theology seemed disconnected from serious Biblical scholarship, and mission work felt transactional rather than transformational. They want depth, liturgy, authentic community, and churches engaged in justice work. Often those who would say they have been through deconstruction do align theologically with mainline churches. But they don't know you exist and congregations haven't worked to make themselves known.

So where are these post-evangelical seekers going? And why, when they align theologically with mainline churches, aren't they finding them or joining them?

The problem is twofold. First, mainline churches largely gave up on evangelism efforts, terrified of looking like the televangelists who were taking their members in the 80s and 90s. "Evangelism" became a dirty word that many removed from their vocabulary. Second, when deconstructing folks do find mainline churches, many after vetting them online to see if they affirm women, LGBTQ+ persons, and racial minorities; what they often experience isn't something to celebrate.

Recently, I came across an order of worship from a local church that illustrates exactly this disconnect. One of the first things printed in the weekly order of worship is that an unstaffed nursery is available for those who need it. While it's great to have this and let folks know it is available, the prominence of the statement sends a message: if you have a child you may need to take them to a room far away from the sanctuary and sit alone. It could even be implied that if your child makes too much noise we expect you to take them out of the room – to sit alone with them. When those visiting have been in churches where ample volunteers greet you and make you feel at home, their encounter with mainline churches who have lost any passion for evangelism and welcome is severely disappointing.

Mainline churches can grow. They need to. And some will - if they can reclaim a passion for evangelism and intentional hospitality. Not the kind of evangelism that we hear preached on street corners, but an invitational evangelism. Not just into a relationship with Jesus but into a relationship with a group of people who are working to align their lives and collective impact on the world with the life and ministry of Jesus.

What does that type of invitation evangelism look like?

1. Welcome warmly, not overwhelmingly. Expect guests every Sunday and acknowledge them warmly without embarrassing them. Some churches "love bomb" visitors - calling them out, making them stand, surrounding them with greeters. It overwhelms them. A genuine smile, a brief conversation at coffee hour, or a simple "glad you're here" often does more than performative welcome rituals.

2. Visit a local evangelical church or growing mainline church and take notes. These are the expectations of visitors who will come to visit you. You do not need to adopt everything you see but be informed and understand the stark differences between visiting those churches and your own. Look for small things you can implement that feel authentic for your congregation's values and capacity.

3. Close worship by inviting people to the next opportunity to connect beyond Sunday morning. Fellowship meals, community service projects, discussion groups, social gatherings - these build actual relationships and give people reasons to return. Worship happens every week like clockwork; that's the baseline. Don't make it your only ask.

4. Be who you actually are - just do it intentionally. You don't need to become something you're not to attract these seekers. They're not looking for slick production or programmatic excellence. They want theological depth, meaningful liturgy, authentic community, and engagement with justice. That's already your tradition. The question is whether you're doing it with intentionality or just going through the motions. Own what makes mainline worship distinctive and invite newcomers into it – intentionally. Explain the why and how of what you do and educate them on something that will be new to them.

There is a great opportunity in this shifting of many Americans relationship with church. At Pinnacle Services we've been on both sides of this experience. Making the move from evangelicalism to mainline protestant – seeing the best of both and working to integrate them. We are passionate about helping congregations to thrive because we believe they have what many people are seeking. We want to help you discover and understand how to reach those people with the resources you already possess. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your church.

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References

Burge, Ryan P. "Have We Reached Peak None?" Graphs About Religion (Substack), November 3, 2025.

Burge, Ryan P. "Mainline Protestants Are Still Declining, But That's Not Good News for Evangelicals." Christianity Today, July 13, 2021.

Burge, Ryan P. Interview with Preet Bharara. "Losing Our Religion." Stay Tuned with Preet (podcast), September 7, 2023.