8 Habits American Churches Quietly Gave Up — Then the Pews Started Emptying

Eight Protestant Practices That Have Faded

The documentary argues that declining church attendance may partly reflect the gradual disappearance of eight once-common Protestant practices. It compares reported weekly attendance by nearly half of American adults in 1965 with a figure close to 20% today. These changes generally happened gradually rather than through formal votes. The documentary also cautions that they cannot, by themselves, be shown to have caused attendance declines.

1. Preaching Through the Bible

Sermons once often worked through a book of scripture verse by verse. Many churches later shifted toward topical messages about subjects such as family, money, and stress. The documentary notes that the effect of this change on biblical knowledge is debated.

2. Accountable Church Membership

Some congregations once expected regular attendance and other commitments, and might follow up with members who stopped attending. As those expectations eased, membership lists could remain large even when many listed people were no longer active.

3. Congregational Hymn Singing

Traditional hymns conveyed theological ideas and were learned through singing together. Many churches replaced hymnals with projected lyrics and shorter, repeated songs. The documentary contrasts communal singing with a more stage-centered experience.

4. Sunday Evening Services

A second weekly service, often accompanied by youth programs, was once common. Television and Sunday shopping competed for people’s time, and many churches eventually discontinued evening services.

5. Fasting

Some Protestant groups once practiced fasting regularly and called for it during periods of crisis. By the mid-20th century, it had become uncommon. The documentary presents fasting as a way of practicing faith during the week, while acknowledging that its effect on attendance is difficult to measure.

6. Preaching About Judgment and Hell

The documentary describes a shift away from sermons emphasizing eternal consequences. It presents competing views: some consider fear a poor teacher, while others argue that avoiding difficult doctrines diminishes the substance of faith.

7. Outreach Beyond Church Buildings

Earlier approaches to outreach included itinerant preaching, door-to-door visits, and buses that brought children to church. The documentary says many congregations later relied more on attractive programs and buildings, assuming people would come to them.

8. Family Religious Practice

In some households, family Bible reading and prayer were once part of the routine. The documentary says these practices became rare, leaving church attendance as a more isolated weekly activity.

The Documentary’s Broader Argument

The documentary suggests that these changes often made church life more convenient and responded to real shifts in people’s schedules and preferences. Taken together, however, they may also have reduced shared responsibility, community ties, and opportunities to practice faith beyond Sunday services. The documentary presents this as a plausible pattern, not proof that abandoning particular habits emptied the pews.

It cites sociologist Dean Kelly’s argument that stricter, more demanding churches tended to grow, and notes that later studies offered some support. It also qualifies the claim: demanding churches are not guaranteed to grow, pointing out that the Southern Baptist Convention has lost members since 2006. The narrower observation is that congregations that ask more of members and involve them throughout the week may retain them longer.

The video closes by noting that some churches have revived evening meetings, extended Bible study, and family devotions.

Presenter and Contributors

The presenter is an unnamed narrator; no individual contributors are identified.