Carey Nieuwhof's latest Church Trends Report flags one finding that matters most: while young men are flooding back to church in record numbers, young women are leaving in record numbers. If you've sensed something shifting in your congregation's demographics, this data explains why.

For years, pastors prayed men would engage. Now it's happening—faster than expected. But what no one anticipated was that as men step in, women step out. A 25-year reversal in church attendance patterns is unfolding right now, and most churches haven't noticed yet.

The reversal is stark. For 25 years, men and women attended church at similar rates. Today, men have stabilized around 45 percent weekly attendance while women have dropped to 36 percent. For the first time, pollsters are tracking women as the demographic leaving church.

If your church is attracting only a particular demographic (in this case, young men), you may actually be shrinking your reach. A congregation that skews heavily male isn't necessarily a sign of success; it may be a red flag.

The harder question: why are women leaving? Early anecdotal evidence suggests several reasons. Some feel disempowered in church leadership. Others disagree with the political alignment of their church. Many have risen to leadership in their careers and don't see the same opportunities within the church. Church trauma, abuse, and broken trust from leadership failures also play a role.

Three things to try this week:

What Your Best Volunteers Actually Want From You | ChurchLeaders

Gary J. Moritz identifies a typical bottleneck for many pastors: you've become the answer to everything. When someone brings a problem, you solve it. That's codependency, not leadership.

Your gifted volunteers are handed tasks (bulletins, setup) instead of being developed as leaders. Maxwell's research shows most pastors stay at Level 2 or 3. Level 4 is where multiplication starts: you stop producing results and start producing leaders.

See a high-potential person. Name what you see. Develop them through real conversation. Deploy them with actual authority: the power to make decisions.

This week: Identify one person who could lead something real in your church. Have coffee. Tell them what you see. Ask them to own it.

Are Your Creatives Leaving Because You Don't Trust Them? | Outreach Magazine

Media expert Phil Cooke claims that pastors often sabotage their church's media teams, preventing them from being able to deliver impact. Sermon titles change minutes before service. Communications staff aren't invited to strategy meetings. Budgets shrink. Micromanagement multiplies.

The core issue? Treating creatives as technicians instead of leaders. You hired them to understand how people consume information. Then you refuse to trust them with vision or authority.

"Creative people need leadership more than control," Cooke says. Your media team sees what you don't. They're missionaries, not support staff. Treated like technicians, they leave. Churches with the greatest impact trust their creative teams.

This week: Invite your media director into a real strategy conversation. Ask what they see that you're missing. Then listen without defending.

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