The American church is at an inflection point. 80% of Americans say the influence of religion on public life is “shrinking.” (Pew 2024) 48% perceive a conflict between their own religious beliefs and “mainstream American culture.” The percent of Americans self-identifying as “Unaffiliated” is skyrocketing while those who identify as mainline Protestant Evangelical or Catholic is declining. (PRRI 2023) US church membership as reported to Gallup is the lowest it has ever been. (Gallup 2024)

Whether churches wish to arrest or even reverse these trends the role in American public life of those who are religiously / spiritually unaffiliated by choice – that is they have either considered Christian congregational life and rejected it or have never considered it at all – is growing.

In many denominations this demographic landscape occasions fear resentment or fatalism a sense that the American church is “dying.” Instead this project extrapolates from the profession of chaplaincy and pilots a model in which statistics do not drive conversations or exert influence over public engagement. This project offers both the church and the “nones” a way to collaborate effectively respectfully and in a manner that is integrated for both “parties.” It intentionally sets aside anxiety over who “belongs” where and instead focuses on pressing social crises like social isolation and social division over religious and political differences. These areas and more are sites of common ground where dedication to care for the human spirit – totally separate from religious affiliation – drives meaningful sustainable change to the betterment of American society. By drawing on the model offered by the profession of chaplaincy the project will deliver a vision of cooperation and collaboration across lines of stark difference to heal the many divisions that currently mar both the American Church and society more broadly.