Maybe The Church Got It Wrong. They came back anyway.
Maybe The Church Got It Wrong

Eight Sundays starting October 4 at Thankful, Blythe GA

Maybe the church got it wrong.They came back anyway.

Millions walked away from church over the last twenty years, and most of them had a reason. Now they're walking back in, more often than their parents ever did. Not to the churches that hurt them. To the ones honest enough to own it. This is us trying to be one.

Plan a visit See the eight Sundays
11:00am Sundays Real Talk after every service 3860 Parwood Rd Blythe
A young man in a hoodie sitting alone against a fence

If you have ever felt like

  • You were judged instead of welcomed.
  • Your questions made people uncomfortable.
  • Church became more about the show than about God.
  • You loved God but felt lost in the crowd.
  • You were a young woman who quietly realized nobody there was listening.
  • You just needed space to heal.

You're not alone. And you're not too late.

Eight Sundays. Eight things we got wrong.

Each week names one way the church failed people, owns it with no excuses, and takes it back to Jesus. Tap a week.

Come to one. Come to all eight. Come once and decide.

The numbers, including the ones that don't flatter us

A series about honesty can't open with a spun statistic. Here is what the research actually says, with the sources linked so you can check us.

16% to 29%

Americans with no religious affiliation, 2007 to 2024. Nearly doubled. Historically Black churches shrank alongside everyone else, from 7% of adults to 5%.

Pew Research Center, 2025
1.9

Weekends a month the average Gen Z churchgoer now attends. Highest of any generation, ahead of Millennials at 1.8 and well ahead of Gen X and Boomers.

Barna Group, October 2025
21% to 39%

Millennial weekly church attendance since 2019. Among Millennials of color it is 45%.

Barna Group, 2025
What those numbers don't tell you

The rise is in how often churchgoers attend, not in how many people call themselves religious. Gen Z is still the generation most likely to have no religious affiliation at all. The front door is still hard to walk through. Once people are inside, they show up more.

Some researchers think part of the increase is a winnowing effect: people who were loosely connected drifted away during the pandemic, and the group that stayed is smaller and more committed.

And the exception is young women. Barna's 2026 research found women ages 18 to 24 are now the most disconnected group in America. For a church whose backbone has always been women, that one is on us.

Real Talk, right after every service

The sermon is us talking. Real Talk is you talking. Stay after, grab a plate, ask what you actually want to ask. Pastor V answers from Scripture in plain English, and says "I don't know" when he doesn't.

  • SafeNo question gets you looked at sideways.
  • GroundedAnswers come from the Bible, not opinion.
  • Not a debateNobody is trying to win.
  • Not a lectureIf it starts sounding like one, call it.
  • Not gossipPatterns, not people or other churches.
  • Not requiredLeave after service if that's all you've got.

Send a question ahead of time

Anonymous unless you want a reply. Pastor V reads every one.

Questions may be answered in Real Talk without your name. No one will call you. If you leave a number, you agree to a text reply from Thankful. Reply STOP anytime.

Got it.

No churchy answer coming. Pastor V will take it on a Sunday after service or send a short video if you left a number.

Pastor Terrence L. Vandiver, Sr.
Rev. Dr. Terrence L. Vandiver, Sr.Senior Pastor, Thankful Missionary Baptist Church

Hi, I'm Pastor V. And I owe you an apology.

Somewhere along the way, the church started protecting itself instead of you. Some of you were judged instead of welcomed. Silenced instead of heard. Pushed out instead of invited in. You didn't stop believing in God. You couldn't find Him in the noise.

Last fall we started saying that out loud in a series called Maybe The Church Got It Wrong. Attendance went up 169%. Not because we got slicker. Because we got honest.

So we're doing it again, starting October 4. Eight new confessions, none of them comfortable. And this time we know something we didn't know then: a lot of you are already looking. You didn't come back to the churches that hurt you. You came back to the ones that owned it.

I know I have no right to ask. But I'm asking.

Pastor V

Will you join the conversation?

Yes, let's talk.

Pick a Sunday. We'll save a seat and keep it low-key. Jeans are fine. Sit in the back. Leave when you want.

Plan a visit

One text from Pastor V. That's it.

It's okay to take your time. If you don't show, nobody chases you. By saving a seat you agree to a few texts from Thankful about your visit. Reply STOP anytime.

Seat saved.

Pastor V will text you once before your Sunday with where to park and what to expect. That's the whole follow-up.

I'm still not sure.

Fair. Two things you can do from your couch.

Read the guide that came out of the first series: seven things people told us they needed to hear before they'd try church again. Drop your number and it's in your texts in ten seconds. No email list.

Get the 7 Things guide Line one: What happened to you was not okay.

Watch a week before you decide. Every sermon and Real Talk goes on the Thankful Everywhere app the same day. Watch from home, then decide if the room is worth the drive.

Watch on Thankful Everywhere We'll be here. The story isn't over yet.

Questions people ask before they come

I've been hurt by church before. What makes this different?
What happened to you was not okay. We're not going to pretend it didn't or ask you to get over it. We don't offer perfect people. We offer a room where the hurt gets named from the pulpit, where nobody is put on the spot, and where you set the pace.
Is this a regular church or something new?
Thankful is a historic Black Baptist church in Blythe that's been here a long time and is trying to follow Jesus more faithfully than it used to. We still preach the Bible. We still love people. We're done with the traditions that hurt them.
Do I have to believe everything to come?
No. Bring the doubts. Your questions are not a problem to God, and they're not a problem to us. Faith is something you walk into, not something you pass a test on at the door.
What should I expect if I visit?
Service starts at 11:00 and runs about 75 minutes. Honest preaching, real worship, and nobody asking you to stand up and be recognized. Dress how you dress. Real Talk follows with food; stay or don't.
Do you have anything for kids or youth?
Yes. Kids and youth ministry runs during service, with background-checked leaders and real conversation that connects to their world. Check the box on the form and someone will walk you back.
Will someone call or pressure me if I give my information?
You'll get one text from Pastor V before your Sunday. If you don't answer, you won't get chased. We don't sell or share your number. It's okay to take your time.
Plan a visit