Any time there is a movement of metrics within any community, people love to give it a name, much like the Exvangelicals Movement.
No, that’s not a typo. These are people who have felt burned, misled or otherwise confused by the evangelical church. Think of it as an evolving definition because many conservative folk believe the exvangelicals are anti-Christian. If you study the movement and the people therein, you’ll learn (quickly) that it is not necessarily anti-Christian, but it is certainly anti-evangelical.
What’s the difference? Why would anyone want to do that? Why are Christians straying from a charismatic way of worship? What in the New Jerusalem is wrong with people?
That’s something close to home we will venture to uncover, but trust this: It may be the world of evangelical worship that is birthing the exvangelical movement. And, if that is accurate, it’s only up to evangelical Christians to fix it.
The popular opinion about exvangelicals is that these are people who left the church and turned their collective back on Christianity. It’s understandable why people might think that, as their absence may be conspicuous each Sunday, but that’s not entirely true.
Many Christians — MAGA or any other type — don’t research for education. They rely on motivation and let their bloviations pollute the air from that moment. If we are supposed to defend the Gospel, shouldn’t it be paramount to study to show ourselves approved first (2 Timothy 2:15)? Such a “ready-shoot-aim” mentality is a massive deterrent to those new to the Church or others who may not be as mature in their faith.
It’s one thing to want to defend the Gospel against the wiles of the enemy. But when you are working to trump something that is being questioned or debated with fluffy rhetoric and a condemnatory finger, you are part of the problem with exvangelicals.
Evangelicals take the Bible seriously and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The term “evangelical” comes from the Greek word euangelion, meaning “the good news” or the “gospel.” Thus, the evangelical faith focuses on the “good news” of salvation brought to sinners by Jesus Christ. (National Association of Evangelicals)
They believe in the infallible Word of God, the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and the perpetual, sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Who in their right mind would want to deny or stray from that? Only people who don’t understand its supreme benefit to their souls. These exvangelicals are searching for meaning and looking for connections, but something — or someone — got in their way of that quest.
The term has been around since the “teens” (i.e., 2010s). Exvangelicals adopted the term not to speak out against Christianity, but to describe how people were practicing it. The statistics focused on the mass exodus from the church at that time.
That’s down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999. Let that sink in. People were leaving the church in droves. And why? Look at the news, and exvangelicals had all the reason they needed. The problem is that there was no one else to let them know God is still faithful to them.
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV
Get that? God needs us to find exvangelicals, stir them up, and encourage them to feel the love of God. Some are so detached from God’s love that they aren’t interested in being in His presence. They aren’t as much backslidden as they are exploring and understanding their faith. If they had a solid relationship with Christ, any offense and misunderstanding related to the church would be seen at face value — people being human and distant from God.
Christians should take a moment and enjoy the fresh air outside of the church bubble. Take some time to understand why these exvangelicals need to re-examine their faith. Were they burned? Did something happen to force a question about their walk with God? Was someone with influence too legalistic? Are church folk becoming woke folk? Do they not understand why some evangelicals act like they aren’t sure who God is?
Before you wonder why they aren’t filling a pew, be like Jesus and think about the one that got away (Luke 15:3-7).
That’s witnessing. That’s the love of God in action. That is removing the x from exvangelicals. Now, do it in the name of Jesus. They’re counting on us.
Read more on Patheos – Seek. Understand.
