Loss of members in the church: Herne fights for resignations!

Loss of members in the church: Herne fights for resignations!

The Catholic Church in Herne and Wanne-Eickel is faced with a substantial decline in its number of members. Almost 950 people left the church last year, as the Deanery Emschertal announced when asked by Radio Herne. This number is alarming and is taken seriously by the church. According to the dean's management, there are a wide range of individual reasons for every resignation that may not be ignored.

The deanery has emphasized that this challenge was not easy to put up with. One plans to intensify contact with the parishioners and to look for opportunities to strengthen their bond with the church. The aim is to make a positive contribution to a livable and social herne.

Reasons for exit church

When discussing church exits, the abuse scandal in the Catholic Church is often mentioned as a significant factor. However, this is only part of the complex problem. According to an analysis of church exit research, a distinction is made between the reason for exit and the exit. The reason for leaving is the increasing estrangement between the believers and the church as well as a lack of church loyalty. Many people, especially young adults, find the church and Christian religion irrelevant for their lives.

The occasion for exit, such as the handling of the church with abuse scandals, often leads to the fact that existing thoughts of a church exit are put into practice. A significant phenomenon is that many young people, especially at the beginning of their working life and in relation to the church taxes, turn away from the church.

Development of church exits in Germany

The situation of the Catholic Church in Germany is also reflected in the overarching numbers. According to the German Bishops' Conference, more than 400,000 people left the Catholic Church in 2023. Compared to the previous year, this was a decline when over half a million withdrawals were counted. This shows that the decline is to be assessed positively, but the church is still confronted with considerable challenges. Georg Bätzing, the chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, described these numbers as alarming and evidence of a comprehensive crisis within the church.

Currently around 20.3 million people in the Catholic Church in Germany belong to, which is around 24 percent of the total population. However, there is the possibility that this number could fall under the 20 million mark in the coming year. The handling of the challenges, in particular the abuse scandal and social change of values, leads to increased pressure on the church to advance necessary reforms. Projects such as the Synodal Way should counter these challenges, but encounter skepticism from the Vatican.

In order to strengthen the bonds, the Catholic Church in Herne is dependent on a comprehensive and sustainable strategy that also takes the legitimate concerns and questions from the parishioners seriously. An urgent exchange and adaptation to the social changes are essential for the future of the church.