Some of the many ways the unaffiliated are creating community, meeting, and inspiration outside of the traditional church structures.

1. I QUIT
Some of the ManyWays the Unaffiliated are Creating
Community, Meaning and Inspiration
CurrentTrends in Religion

2. Today, nearly four in ten (39%) young
adults (ages 18-29) are religiously
unaffiliated
–PRRI Report

3. Millennials are less religiously
affiliated than ever before.
According to the 2012 Pew
Research Center report, “Nones
on the Rise,” nearly one in three
do not belong to a faith
community and of those, only
10% are looking for one.
Though many millennials are
atheists or agnostics, the
majority are less able to
articulate their sense of
spirituality, with many falling
back on the label ‘spiritual-but-
not-religious’.

4. SixThemes which show the cultural DNA
for these and other initiatives
■ Community: Valuing and fostering deep relationships that center on service to others
■ Personal transformation: Making a conscious and dedicated effort to develop one’s
own body, mind, and spirit
■ Social transformation: Pursuing justice and beauty in the world through the creation
of networks for good
■ Purpose finding: Clarifying, articulating, and acting on one’s personal mission in life
■ Creativity: Allowing time and space to activate the imagination and engage in play
■ Accountability: Holding oneself and others responsible for working toward defined
goals

5. The unaffiliated are finding
community with Humanists,
Atheists, Agnostics, Seekers, and
others in all kinds of places…
In this presentation I would like to share with you
some of the ways the unaffiliated are finding
community, meaning, and inspiration.
• University coalitions/Chaplaincies:The Humanist
Community atYale University
• Meetup Groups:The Humanist Hub of Harvard
University
• Creative mashup: SoulCycle
• Linking the Religious/Secular Divide:Common
Ground/InterfaithYouth Core
• How We Gather Report

6. Yale Humanist
Community
TheYale Humanist Community
(YHC) is dedicated to supporting a
diverse community of Humanists,
atheists, agnostics, and the
nonreligious atYale and beyond. We
equally welcome those that self-
describe as nonbelievers, skeptics,
and searchers—as well as anyone
who identifies as religious or as a
theist that is interested in
our programs.
YHC serves undergraduate and
graduate student communities; in
addition,Yale faculty, staff, alumni,
and the general public are welcome
and encouraged to participate.

7. Getting involved
atYHC
• Children’s Program
• Existential Counseling
• Humanist Alumni ofYale
• Humanist Haven
• SMART Recovery
• The None/Others
• Weddings, Funerals, Invocations
• WTF:Who to Follow?
• Yale Undergraduate Humanist
Society

8. Humanist
Public Art
Symbolizing the hope and beauty of
the human spirit, this sculpture will
complement theChristmas tree,
menorah, and manger scene that
adorn the New HavenGreen annually,
but serve as a nonreligious expression
of human potential, representing our
shared humanity.
During the coldest and darkest season
of the year, this piece of public art will
go up annually to celebrate our ability
as human beings to come together
and create light and warmth, and
share a message of unity across lines
of difference.

9. Meetup:The Humanist Hub of Harvard
University

10. The Humanist Hub is a place
where you can connect with
other people, act to make the
world better, and evolve as a
human being.
We are a center for humanist life
— a nonreligious community
committed to the power of
human connection to help us do
good and live well.
In recent years we have evolved
into a hub for secular
community-building activities at
Harvard, in Greater Boston, and
beyond.

11. SoulCycle: Community, Personal
Transformation & BikramYoga

12. SoulCycle is a spin class where
fitness is associated with
empowerment, joyful living, and
both inner and outer strength.
Branded with phrases like “find
your soul,” SoulCycle is in the
business of changing lives.
Classes are described as “journeys”
and are led by inspirational
instructors by candlelight, with a
focus on transforming the mind as
well as the body. Every week,
50,000 riders are rejuvenated by
inspiring words and liturgy-like
music playlists that give meaning
to their workout.

13. Attempts at Bridging the
Religious/Secular Divide

14. Religious believers, Atheists & Humanists on
Ethics, Community, and Hope

15. Common
Ground Stuff
Nov 2013: CG Conference of
Dialogue in Scotland
Dec 2013: CG Meetup in New Jersey
Nov 2015 CG in Scotland on Global
Climate Change
Oct 2015: CG Ground Conference at
Rutgers University/You Tube Album
Parliament of World’s Religions
Panel Presentation on CG
Aug 2016: CG Meetup in
Massachusetts
Secular Spectrum

16. InterfaithYouth Core
In a country more religiously diverse than ever, it is critical for people to understand the
vital and inspirational knowledge—the traditions, the values, and the history of religious
and non-religious identities

17. HowWe Gather – A New
Report On Non-Religious
Community
Millennials are less religiously affiliated than ever before.
Churches are just one of many institutional casualties of
the internet age in which young people are both more
globally connected and more locally
isolated than ever before. Against this bleak backdrop, a
hopeful landscape is emerging. Millennials are flocking to
a host of new organizations that deepen community in
ways that are powerful, uprising, and perhaps even
religious. After two years of noticing this happen, we’re
sharing our findings in order to start a conversation.