Well,
It should come as no surprise to me that people will leave a church. It has happened from the beginning of time and will continue until after the 1K reign. Lifeway did a recent survey, in this they listed 6 reasons (as if there were only 6).
- Poor leadership
- Different Style
- Specific Program
- Disillusionment
- Inner Hurts
- Church Size
Out of the 6 listed 2 of them Style and Programs are the ones I struggle with the most. I guess the others I consider deeper rooted issues. Is it really the Lord leading you to find a new church if the style is no longer hip or cutting edge, hard to get distracted by the flash when you are focused on the Son. What if the program’s are going through a transition or in there infancy, does that mean that the Spirit is any less apart of it.
Pastor John Atkinson has a side note on his blog that I think is key “The vast majority of people who leave your church will not do it “well.”".
I have no problem with people leaving, if the Lord is in it. I think that anytime we transition even if the Lord is completely leading the way it may still be a emotionally draining experience. I am not talking about missing people, or being sad that someone is going away. Those things will happen if you love someone and they are apart of your family. I am talking about leaving under the guise that it is God moving when He has had His name smeared on your personal agenda. I struggle with this on a personal level, and it so many times flood into my family life. Then again I think that in the pruning process God will move people because He needs them out of the way so that He can accomplish what He wills with His church. Lifeway suggests 3 things to do when people leave.
- Learn From It
- Pray For Them
- Open the Gate
Learning from the situation is wise, and can help us young guys mature so that we won’t keep making the same dumb mistakes (atleast we hope so!!) I am always committed to pray for those who leave, especially that they would find a body to not just associate with but to grow and thrive as a follower of Christ. I find difficulty with allowing the gate to stay open, this is where my flesh comes in and has a hayday. I feel burned and I guess I am a little skittish in allowing it to happen again. I know God has a plan and that what we do doesn’t catch Him by surprise I guess this is something I will have to continually turn to the Word so that I can overcome the duldrums associated with leaving. Overall I completely agree with the solutions presented, but in the words of my mentor I have to ponder this question ”Will it always be Bitter-Sweet?”
