Millions of Christians are no longer in church on Sundays. We need to be very, very clear about what is and what is not happening to cause that sorry state of affairs. Some people who quit church no longer believe in God. That is quite sad, but those lost souls are a minority. The majority of “missing” Christians still have faith. At Orthodox Reflections, we know of many Orthodox Christians who barely attend liturgy under current conditions, but still contend earnestly for the Faith as podcasters, authors, bloggers, and evangelists. They love God, but reject the “new normal.” Unfortunately, many churches are more obsessive about enforcing the “new normal” than most secular businesses.

So to all the clergy, do not blame mass apostasy for your diminished flock. The vast majority of people skipping church services continue to believe in God. It’s you they don’t believe in, and that is your fault.

https://orthodoxreflections.com/of-course-church-membership-is-declining/