The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers Leads Conversation About the ‘Nones’ and ‘Dones’
The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, who served for a number of years on the staff of former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, came to Charleston on Thursday, January 29, to share her new book, Church Tomorrow? What the ‘Nones’ and ‘Dones’ Teach us About the Future of Faith. She wrote the book to address the decline of traditional religion and the witness of nonreligious Millennials and Generation Z members. She spent time traveling across the country and interviewing what she calls “nones” and “dones”–non-religious 18-44 year olds who have either never been affiliated with organized religion (the “Nones”) or have walked away from it (the “Dones”).
The event began with a conversation between Canon Spellers and Bishop Ruth, who talked candidly about the challenges facing the wider church with decreasing membership. During the second half of the evening, Canon Spellers invited four people in this particular age group to the front for an opportunity to engage in an open and honest conversation aimed to help us all better understand how to reach this unique generation.
Two of the panelists are current students at The Citadel, who have participated in the Monday night Citadel Episcopal Fellowship. They both mentioned that while attending these Monday night sessions was initially to escape for a moment from the first-year experience of being at The Citadel while getting a good meal, it evolved into an opportunity to deepen their own faith journeys. Both have continued to attend the Monday night sessions for multiple years and are grateful to the congregations who have supported this ministry that is proving to reach the “nones” and “dones.”
See more photos from the event on our Facebook page at this link.