Why are People Leaving the Church?
It is no secret that the ranks of the Christian church–the organized Christian church–are thinning. People are less and less likely to be involved in local churches for many reasons. The postmodern ethos is partly to blame (or “credit” might be a better word). Why are people leaving?
Listen to this statistic that I got from a friend who was involved in a survey (it is yet unpublished). When kids go off to college, most of them leave the church for a time. For the most part, worried parents could expect them to come back eventually. Ten years ago, according to this survey, you could expect that eighty percent of those who left church would come back in their late twenties. Do you know what that figure is today? Three percent. . . . (Pausing to let that sink in) . . .
Now, I don’t think that the Proverb that exhorts us to “train up our children in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it” is now false (Prov. 22:6). What I do think is that something has happened to the organized church that has causes people to look for their spirituality elsewhere.
The question is, what has happened? This is part of the cultural prolegomena that I have been talking about in previous blogs. We need to understand the reasons this generation has for their disdain of the organized church. We also need to go beyond the typical (and easy) “Oh, they are just rebellious and don’t love the Lord” answer. This solves nothing. The problem is much deeper and needs to be taken more seriously.
Well, since I started this blog with the intent of only posting a link, let me get to that link. There is a new site out there called “Letters from Leavers.” This site allows those who have left the church to blog the reasons why they have left. I will be referring to this site in the coming months and I encourage you to bookmark it. It is an important study that these guys are undertaking and I am grateful for their commitment to it.
So, why are people leaving the Church? If you have left, why?
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bpratico on 13 Mar 2007 at 6:48 am #
I wrestled with this for several days and offer 10 Warning Signs Your Church Is Becoming Irrelevant.
Bob
Sojourn Huntsville
Seeker006 on 15 Mar 2007 at 10:45 am #
I
C Michael Patton on 15 Mar 2007 at 11:16 am #
Makes perfect sense to me. I agree with both of your comments. I do think that the most radical voices are the loudest. This is often unfortunate. What do we do? Speak louder? Get on Jay Leno?
Jeff on 16 Mar 2007 at 9:58 am #
I think all of the above contribute, but I think it goes deeper. The lack of real commitment and support is the main reason. Close, supportive, relationships are what the chuch is supposed to be about. The church is meant to be a family and all that involves. It means sometimes there is bickering and disagreements, but when the times get tough they are there no matter what. Churches welcome families until those familes are put on the potters wheel. When times get tough we’ve seen the church (different local churches) turn away from or even turn on those families. The damage is devastating. Many drop out and the kids watch all of this and wonder if there is any point.
The emerging church is partly a reaction to the lack of real commitment and compassion found in most traditional churches. People want a safe, committed place to call home. They want a church family they trust.
Becky on 11 Aug 2008 at 6:01 pm #
Could it be the non-truths that they are teaching in the churches? Like, everyone goes to heaven or hell. Doesn’t Psalms 37 talk about God’s purpose for mankind to live on earth? And if everyone goes to heaven or hell what is the resurrection all about?
tscott on 13 Aug 2008 at 12:53 pm #
Could this be people( even families) and communities of people who are following the Spirit of God in their hearts and lives?
We’re probably going through a transition, and not one similar to that in Europe in the 20th century, or the 16th for that matter.
In the Old Testament the people are required to go to three festivals. You could read them and observe them for years and not understand the spiritual meaning. So there is one called Pesach, or Passover, or Easter. Christians get the spiritual meaning of being saved, and have explored the meaning in many different groups. Secondly there is Shavuot
or Pentecost. Christians understand having God within…at least they do on many arguable levels. Then there is Sukkot, or Festival of Booths, or The Ingathering. Christians have practiced this in bible studies, classes, support groups, and house churches for centuries, but the spiritual meaning is not as understood….you leave the institution to prepare.