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The daughter of a Protestant father and a Catholic mother who converted to Protestantism, Lara was raised in the faith. But she was never very observant.
"I see in the Christian religion a set of values, and the divine presence is reassuring to me. Even so, I don't feel the need to honor it with religious services," she says.
This is why the 30-year-old Berlin woman wants to leave the Church soon by being removed from the administrative registers.
Like her, an increasing number of Germans are turning their backs on the institution.
According to statistics published on June 26 by the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) and the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), there were 272,771 Catholics and 270,000 Protestants who made this decision in 2019.
This represents more than 540,000 Christians, an increase of 24% compared to 2018 -- a record.
"These figures frighten me and worry me because they show that our message, which speaks of the freedom of humanity and our connection with God, is no longer received," says Jesuit Father Hans Langendörfer, the DBK general secretary.
"We need an open and honest analysis to understand this loss of connection," he insists.
This is an indication of the secularization of society and growing individualism
Documented for years, there are multiple reasons for this crisis.
In addition to an ageing population, the faithful's confidence in the Church has been shaken over the past decade by financial scandals and the sexual abuse crisis.
Reform-minded believers are also turned off by the Church's position on the role of women and homosexuality.
But Stephanie Springer, president of the Protestant Church of Hanover, says the scale of hemorrhaging suggests that these explanations are not enough. She believes the issue is more connected to the secularization of society and growing individualism.
"The decline in involvement, whether in sport or humanitarian work, is a major trend," notes the EKD board member.
She also blames consumerism.
"Last year, when we co-financed a rescue ship for migrants in the Mediterranean, some of our members openly expressed their disapproval and said they wanted to leave our institution," she recalls.
"In the past, the faithful were happy with the decisions of their Church, even if they didn't agree with them," Springer says.
A refusal to pay religious tax
Finally, there is also a financial element that cannot be overlooked. Indeed, the Church tax, which is compulsory across the Rhine for all baptized persons, represents 8 to 9% of income tax.
Therefore, leaving the Church also means refusing to pay this tax.
René Meintz maintains an information site on the Internet where he conducts a survey on the reasons for these desertions.
Results show that 41% of those polled, or the majority, left their Churches because of the Church tax. This is especially the case among the younger people.
"The Church can no longer answer people's questions and give meaning to their lives," explains Georg Bier, professor of canon law at the University of Fribourg.
"They wonder whether they want to continue to give money to an institution in which they no longer feel they belong," he notes.
Lara agrees. She says she pays between €40 and €50 for the Church tax per month.
"Without that, I would surely have remained a passive member, as I have been since I was a child," she admits.
But there is no question that either the Catholic or Evangelical Churches would renounce such funding.
"The Church tax, which is economically just because it is correlated with income, remains very important because it allows us to provide pastoral care, outreach to young people or international solidarity," emphasizes Father Langendörfer.
He says the only way the Church can regain the trust of its members is by renewing personal connections.
"We need to speak more about our faith and live it more explicitly, as Pope Francis does when he seeks closeness with people and passes on the message of the Gospel to them," the Jesuit argues.
This is the aim of the German synodal journey that began in December 2019, during which 230 bishops, Church representatives and lay people are reflecting on the renewal of Catholicism.
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