Updated 2020-01-27 7:16 am MST.

Beginning in the mid to late 2000s, the church started experiencing a large increase in the number of active, faithful, even multigenerational members leaving the church. This can largely be attributed to three major factors: 1) an increased availability and ease of access to historical information that undermines the truth claims and correlated narrative of the church; 2) increasing distance between the social progress of much of the developed world and the entrenched retrogressive views of the church on issues like LGBTQ+ equality, women’s empowerment, race, and dealing with issues of sexual abuse; and 3) emergence of social networks (message boards, forums, Facebook, podcasts, etc.) that validate the legitimate concerns of doubting/questioning members and provide a “soft landing” and exit strategies for those whose belief has been challenged by the first two factors.