INDIANAPOLIS (WOWO): An Indiana religious leader says a new national study presents a “call to action” for churches of all faiths across America. 

Indianapolis-based Christian Theological Seminary President Dr. Matthew Myer Boulton is speaking out on findings of the Pew Research Center‘s latest study, “Religion and Public Life,” released this past week. 

Among many things, the survey finds that America‘s Christian population continues to decline as the number of Americans who don‘t claim any organized religious affiliation continues to rise. The survey shows that the number of people who identify themselves as Christians dropped in 2014 to 70.6% compared to 78.4% in 2007. 2007 which was Pew‘s last major survey on the issue. 

The number of Americans who calls themselves atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” rose six points from 16.1% to 22.8% during the same time span. In addition, the number of “non-Christians” – Muslims, Buddhists, etc., – in America rose slightly from 4.7% to 5.9%. It also shows an increase in the number of religiously-unaffiliated Millennials as the median age in those ranks dropped from 38 to 36 from 2007 to 2014. 

Dr. Boulton says findings of the survey serve as a “great wake up call” to the religious community to find relevant ways to connect with people and address the “key questions people are actually asking.”