We Asked, You Answered: Why Women Are Leaving Church

We Asked, You Answered: Why Women Are Leaving Church

Author: Religion News Service May 28, 2026 Duration: 48:03
Can you imagine a church without women? Us either. For as long as anyone alive today has been going to church, they've found the pews populated with more women than men. It's long been a given in American society that women are more religious than men. They pray more often, they attend church more often, they read their Bibles more often. But in the past quarter century, that gap has steadily been shrinking among young adults. As more young men claimed a religious identity, fewer women did. And in 2025, according to Gallup, young men surpassed young women claiming religion is important in their lives and church attendance among the younger set is tied between genders. What's happening here? While the focus has often been on the male side of that equation (look, young men are coming back to church!), the reality is the gender flip-flop has been driven more by young women's exodus. We wanted to know why women are leaving – and we wanted to hear some real-life stories. So we asked you! On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy hear from several listeners who offer their stories of leaving church — from the slow fade to the heartbreaking betrayal. We uncover some themes and discuss our own reasons for continuing to choose church (sometimes against all odds). Thank you again to the listeners who sent in their stories. And happy summer everyone! See you next season.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Saved by the City, hosts Roxy and Katelyn explore a spiritual journey that defies expectations. Produced by Religion News Service, this podcast delves into their personal experiences of moving from the white evangelical heartland into the heart of a major metropolis, a transition they were told would threaten their faith. Instead of finding a spiritual wasteland, they discovered a complex, challenging, and ultimately enriching landscape that forced them to re-examine everything. Each episode is a conversation about navigating belief in a place where Sunday mornings look different and old certainties are constantly questioned. They talk about the surprising ways their faith has been both strengthened and stretched by urban life, confronting topics from community and service to doubt and belonging. This isn't a theoretical discussion; it's grounded in the real, sometimes messy, day-to-day life of seeking purpose and connection in a city that never sleeps. The podcast offers honest reflections for anyone who has ever felt their beliefs were too small for the world they inhabit, proving that sometimes faith doesn't need to be sheltered to survive-it needs to be tested to truly grow. Tune in for candid stories and insights that resonate far beyond city limits.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Saved by the City
Podcast Episodes
So You Married a Priest? + Beth Allison Barr [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:05
Did you know there are piles of guidebooks meant to help women excel at being the church's first lady? From how to step out of a car when pulling up to church on Sunday, to preparing the perfect casserole, to keeping the…
A Ross Douthat Guide to Fairies, UFOs ... and Church [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:46
What’s the woo-iest thing you believe in? Angels and demons? Ghosts? Astrology? On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy dabble in the metaphysical and get curious about the mystical. We also wonder if maybe we’ve gotten a litt…
A New City Won't Save You + Lydia Sohn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:05
Katelyn and Roxy both moved to New York City with a dream of starting fresh and the promise of a new life with new adventures, new friends and new romance. And, to be honest, New York delivered on pretty much all of that…
Truth or Dare: Evangelical Edition + Erin Hicks Moon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:22
Were you more of a truth person or a dare person? On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy revisit some of the Capital T-truths of their youth group days and dare to say "maybe I don't believe that anymore." From hell to dinosa…
Empathy Is Now a Sin? Really? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:51
It's toxic. It's sinful. It's compassion corrupted. It's ruining the world and is definitely at the root of all the bad things. What is this fresh evil? Empathy, of course! Or so says a growing faction of Christians with…
Can We Love the Bible Again? + Kaitlyn Schiess [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:20
Core memory: flipping the Bible open to a random page, pointing with eyes closed to a verse, and "claiming" that verse as God's answer to the particular problem of that day. Whew. Where did we get that idea? On this epis…
Our Roasts and Toasts of 2024 + Tiffany Bluhm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:40
Gather 'round with your marshmallows and cups of cheer, it's that time of year to send good tidings and spiced takes. No, that's not a typo, though maybe you can have your cake and eat it too with this year's roasts and…
Living in the Limbo (aka: Advent) + Stephanie Duncan Smith [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:57
The days are getting short. The nights are getting long. Christ has come but he'll also come again. We're in the now and the not yet. We're waiting, preparing, standing guard. Y'all it's Advent. And this year, we are liv…