The Great Disconnect: When the Pulpit and the Pew Aren't Speaking the Same Language | w/ Ryan Burge

The data is in, and it's not what you think.

Mainline Protestant churches have collapsed from 30% of the American population in 1975 to under 9% today. Half of all Episcopalians are over 65. Finding a mainline Protestant under 40 is rarer than finding someone who's Jewish.

But here's the real story no one's talking about: there's a massive gap between what mainline clergy believe and what the people in their pews believe. While 71% of UCC pastors identify as Democrats, only 46% of their congregations do. And despite the "liberal mainline" stereotype? A majority of mainline laypeople voted for Trump in 2024, 2020, AND 2016.

What happens when leaders and their people aren't even having the same conversation?

I will sit down with RYAN BURGE—political scientist, data analyst behind "Graphs about Religion," professor at Washington University's Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, and one of the country's leading experts on American religious trends—to unpack what this disconnect means for the future of the church.

We're talking:
📊 The real state of mainline Protestantism (it's worse than you think)
⛪ Why the "liberal mainline" is mostly a myth
👴 The age crisis that's hollowing out denominations
🗳️ What the 2024 election revealed about church and politics
🌉 How clergy can lead progressively WITHOUT leaving their people behind

Whether you're a pastor, a church member, a seminary student, or just someone trying to make sense of American religion—this conversation is for you.

🔴 DROP YOUR QUESTIONS IN THE CHAT - We'll be taking them live!

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RYAN BURGE'S Substack: https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/