Last week, we asked you about leaving church. More specifically, we wanted to know what circumstances would cause you to leave a church. Nearly three hundred of you responded, and here’s what you said.
A slim majority of you (38%) say that your church straying from its foundations in favor of relevance would cause you to leave. Good to see you sticking to your guns. Slightly less of you (36%) would only leave with some unavoidable circumstance–moving, your whole church population being raptured, etc.
There was a tie for the third reason to leave church. 9% of you would leave if there weren’t enough opportunities to be involved, and another 9% wouldn’t ever leave. Ever. Ever ever. Are you guys the pastors of your church? Or just super-loyal members?
Rounding out the bottom are the 8% of you who would leave for a dispute and the 3% who would leave at a personnel change.
It seems that we have a lot of either very devoted church members or extreme idealists. Either way, this week, whichever answer you gave, pretend some situation arose where you had to leave. And once leaving, how would you go about finding a new church?
Betsy
June 6, 2007
Sorry to go all grammar queen on you, but excellence in all things, right?
Recommendations, not reccomendations.
Gloria
June 6, 2007
I’m an idealist, I think. :P
But I am also very loyal. I love my church. I looked for another one in college (in a different city) but eventually, I moved back home– primarily because of my church. I missed my church family and the support they provide.
*If* I did have to find a new church, I think I’d look at websites. It would (hopefully) give me a good idea of where I could fit in.
Now, I say that, but it didn’t really help me in college. It was nearly impossible to get involved in the church because you had to be there for a certain time before you were allowed in. I need to be working and needed, and I always felt sort of guilty just being a pew warmer so I’d just never come back. Sad but true.
Matt L
June 6, 2007
Encouraging survey – I was thinking people left for more petty reasons. Of course this poll probably takes a bit different slice than of the “fringe members” of a church who are the most likely to switch.
I never understood how a church could forsake the scripture for relevance, since the problems they faced back then are exactly the same as the ones we see now.
Now to get back on your topic ;)
If I had to leave my church, I would find people that are really impacting the community with the love of the gospel and check them out first. I’m sometimes picky about messages, but there is enough material on the web from ministries to float me. Guess the interaction with the community and visible fruit of following Christ would be key.
Lex
June 6, 2007
Well I’m used to the very best, so if I had to find another church I’d have to personally interview the pastor and key leadership, audit church and personal financial records, and study random samplings of teachings over the past three months. And, of course, they’d have to be serving good coffee/donuts.
byron
June 6, 2007
I wonder how different the results would be if the wording changed from “what circumstances WOULD cause you to leave your church?” to “why did you leave your last church?”
Kristin Myers
June 6, 2007
Have you guys heard of the site “Letters from Leavers? It was started by some classmates of mine here at Fuller Seminary as a final project, but it’s taken off and they’re still adding content: letters from people who have left the church. They are interesting, heartbreaking and not easy to read, but shed light and give voice to those who don’t come back.
jimmy@relevantchristian
June 6, 2007
Why is being relevant almost always relocated to “forsaking scripture”?
Christians and churches CAN be relevant WITHOUT forsaking scriptural foundation.
I’m puzzled.
Jimmy
Joshua
June 6, 2007
In regards to the previous two comments, I am guilty as charged for poor wording on this one. Maybe next week’s poll will be what my punishment should be.
I intended to encompass everything with “what would,” including why you did.
And I wasn’t being an exclusivist in the sense that relativity always means forsaking Scripture; I was hoping to encompass the idea that some churches just go too far.
I’ll try harder next time : )
Seph
June 7, 2007
I think lots of churches go “too far,” but its the opposite of what you were trying to get at.
In my experience, many churches see no distinction between their local customs (how we’ve always done it!) and the Christian faith of Scripture.
These churches have forsaken traditional, Biblical Christianity (which requires relevance) for sake of holding onto their preferred way of doing church. And, I bet almost no one would leave a church for that.
Truth Seeker
June 7, 2007
What I find most interesting about this non-scientific poll is how it stands against what many are saying today. I hear all the time that people are leaving the church in droves and going to another either because of lack of ways to get involved or they experience hostility, but yet this informal poll shows that even when combined these two issue consistute less than a fifth of the reason why people are leaving, or if they were to leave.
I find that amazing actually and to some degree it shows that that there is a vast majority of believers who will stay even in tough times and in times of disagreement and that really the small minority is making a bigger deal than what may be reality. My two cents, not a dogmatic claim though.
Blessings,
jimmy@relevantchristian
June 7, 2007
Joshua,
No worries….my comment was not relegated to this post alone.
It is more of an over all consciousness within the Christian ranks. It is the basic idea that in order to be relevant one must be scripturally weak.
It drives me crazy.
Peace!
Dan
June 7, 2007
I think it is important to remember in these surveys that most of us who are using this site are quite invested in ministering in their church and community, so the results of this poll are going to reflect the ideals of dedicated servants rather than the general populace. We shouldn’t use these results to direct our ministry efforts.
Bill Cecchini
June 7, 2007
What people fail to realize is that most of the bible (especially the NT) WAS written as “relevant” doctrine…using (at that time) modern culture, examples, and stories to support and build their messages.
It’s sad that we seem to have lost the heart of the original Christian. How have we become so obsessed with tradition?
Jesus was all about bucking the system. Traditional? I think not.
Truth Seeker
June 8, 2007
Bill,
Please don’t spew that tired ole line that Jesus bucked the system and that He was not traditional. This is false understanding of the Biblical text. If anything Jesus reinforced a return to traditional values. He said “I did not come to do away with the Law but to fulfill it…not one iota ot tittle will be removed till all is done” When Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees and everyone in between he was calling them on the carpet for adding stuff to those traditions that were binding people. When the Gospel went forth to the Gentiles, that was not a “radical noe socialist movement” It was what was inteded all along, it was tradition! That is what God meant in the first place. Man came along and screwed up trying to add a lot of stuff trying to be either “relavent” in the negative sense or trying to add more stuff to the tradition.
Jesus was the author of the Law and the traditions, he didn’t do away with them, but made them full in the sense of now they make sense.
Stop using the tired old line of Jesus was a system bucker. Not in any way, except that he bucked what people were adding and changing. He wanted it “ole school”
David
June 8, 2007
Let’s see…. He was called on the “tradition thing” when he said the law was made for man, not the other way around. Wasn’t that his disciples were being called lawbreakers by doing work on Sunday that he was responding to? Didn’t he teach that the temple sacrifice was unnecessary? Now there’s a tradition that was well ingrained during J’s time. Not a bucker of the system? I suggest, Truth Seeker, that you take your traditional filters off and look at what he is said to have said, not what you wished he had said. Ah, another point, how do you know what he said? Were you there, or are you relying on that tired belief that scripture is the inerrant word of God. Blessings.
Ron
June 13, 2007
We attend St. Stephen United Methodist Church in Mesquite, Texas after looking over a year for a church home. That was an interesting journey looking back on it as we encourntered some peculiar situations. The church is very mindful of the “three minute” rule of welcoming visitors and not having them bolt out the door after the service. We really enjoyed the friendliness of the people and the opportunities to become involved. The Disciple Bible Study program really rocks!!
Truth Seeker
June 14, 2007
David,
Yes, as a matter of fact I am relying on that “tired belief that scripture is the inerrant word of God.” Better to rely on something solid than the shifting sands of this world. Christ himself spoke of the word as the Word of God given to men and did all the prophets and all the church leaders over the last 2,000 years. So yea, I think I stand in good company when I say that the word is the inerrant word of God.
But thanks for being concerned that I was somehow going to err. No shifting sand for me buddy!
Blessings,
Bill Cecchini
June 15, 2007
There are so many things I want to say, Truth Seeker. For the sake of avoiding an argument, I’ll leave it at this:
If, on my judgment day, God tells me, “Bill, you’re going to hell. Yes, you claimed my Son as King. Yes, you lived every day for me. Yes, you loved me with all your heart…BUT, you didn’t adhere to tradition,” I’ll regretfully accept my punishment.
In the mean time, I’m gonna celebrate, cuz my Jesus has set me free.
Mark H. Hendricks
July 6, 2007
This whole discussion addresses an issue that has been bugging me for some time. For several decades now, we have been teaching our children out of context Bible passages with no significant life application. They aren’t reading scripture in context or taking away the full message of scripture. All the while, we’ve been loosing these kids to the world. It just doesn’t work!
Most importantly, I think we, as Evangelicals, have exchanged head knowledge for heart knowledge. I realize that The Word never goes out that it comes back void and these kids may one day have that personal relationship. Why should they have to rebel, walk away and repent of all sorts of evil before learning the joy of simple worship? We don’t do this to new Christian adults.
xocai
August 22, 2008
They aren’t reading scripture in context or taking away the full message of scripture. All the while, we’ve been loosing these kids to the world. It just doesn’t work!
xocai
August 22, 2008
Man came along and screwed up trying to add a lot of stuff trying to be either relavent in the negative sense or trying to add more stuff to the tradition.
Angie
September 3, 2008
I have recently left the Anglican church. I have suffered depression for many years and a Lay Reader at my church said I was too demanding and wanted her full attention at all times. We had a falling out because she was so unfriendly towards me. I know worship God personally in the comfort of my own home.
Angie
September 3, 2008
I have recently left the Anglican church. I have suffered depression for many years and a Lay Reader at my church said I was too demanding and wanted her full attention at all times. We had a falling out because she was so unfriendly towards me. I know worship God personally in the comfort of my own home.