Church Tomorrow?: What the 'Nones' and 'Dones' Can Teach Us about the Future of Faith

“Remarkable . . . a vision for the future that is decidedly not the way we’ve always done it but instead shaped by the way of Jesus and his love.” –from the foreword by Michael B. Curry, former Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal ChurchThe Nones, Dones, Unchurched, spiritual-but-not-religious (SBNRs). Call them what you will, they're a dominant force in American religion and the majority among Millennials and Gen Zers. In Church Tomorrow? Stephanie Spellers presents hard truths about declining religious affiliation in America, paired with stories and wisdom from her interviews with dozens of young people who either grew up with no faith or gave up formal religion. Along the way, she joins hundreds in a yoga circle at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral; in Atlanta, Georgia, she attends Sunday Assembly, a secular congregation that caters to agnostics and atheists; just outside the Twin Cities, she interviews college students exploring crystals and tarot decks; and in New York City she comes home to meet spiritual-but-not-religious young adults who once attended her own church. And that's only the beginning. As she listens and learns, Spellers asks: Why are younger generations passing on church? What spiritual pathways and communities are they creating? And how could their insights help to shape the future of Christian community? Listen up – today’s young Nones and Dones have a prophecy for the church of tomorrow. In the vein of Michelle Goldberg’s Kingdom Coming, an investigative and research based visionary work on the future of faith.

The religious landscape of America is changing. Religious ideas are in the zeitgeist, and at the same time there are reports of declining church attendance and an increase in the number of people who define themselves as unaffiliated with a particular religion--the 'nones' and 'dones.' Stephanie Spellers, a thought leader and spiritual scholar, explores the questions and contradictions that a generation is experiencing in regard to the role of faith in their lives. She travels the country, from Atlanta, Georgia to Santa Clara, California; from the Twin Cities of Minnesota to New York City to delve into the hearts and minds of those who feel a yearning for spirituality but don't know where to find it. In provocative and revealing conversations, Spellers listens to these disillusioned seekers as she engages with them to collect whatever wisdom they have to share. As she travels, she examines some pressing questions: Why are they passing on church? What spiritual pathways are they seeking and creating? And most importantly, how could their insights help to shape the future of Christian community? 

Praise for The Church Cracked Open
"If you are looking at the landscape of the church and wondering, ‘How’d we get here?’ and what’s next, I invite you to board Rev. Spellers’s plane and take in the big picture with her. Take in the history, the theology, the pain, the beauty, and the hope that her view from thirty thousand feet offers. When she lands the plane, you’ll realize—there’s simply no better guide out there." --Nadia Bolz-Weber, author of Accidental Saints

“Spellers courageously challenges American Christians to have tough conversations surrounding imperialism, racism, and self-centrism. Moreover, she offers solutions that bring us back to what Jesus intended the church to look like and function.” ― Herman Baxter, Jr., The Christian Century

“Congregations seeking to wrestle with their own past practices and future hopes will find this book a very helpful guide. Do not expect easy answers or simple solutions: this is a
map to the land without roads, where only trust in the love of God and a community of loving pilgrims will find—not a city on a hill—but a family of faith.”  ―Tobias Stanislaus Haller, Anglican Theological Review


 

• | Author: Stephanie Spellers
• | Publisher: Church Publishing Inc
• | Publication Date: Dec 18, 2025
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Hardback
• | ISBN-13: 9781640658608
• | ISBN-10: 1640658602