Mainstream surveys reveal that the main reason people leave the church is it no longer meets their needs. The common things we hear are:
- They don’t like the pastor.
- They don’t like the people.
- Their kids don’t like the youth program.
The seeker oriented, seeker friendly, etc. format is very appealing to people because the coffee is good, the rock music makes their kids happy and they can come and go in complete anonymity. There is no pressure or reason to get to know the people sitting next to you.
Your Church…As Defined in The Bible
The bible says the church is a body of believers created by God to worship Him together and to be a place of fellowship and support. Like taking your vitamins, the church is a place where we go for strength and support as well as to worship God with fellow believers. In our fast paced, selfish world, committing to a local church with both our time and money is a real personal inconvenience. Especially when we don’t like being there for any particular reason.
Questions To Ask About Your Church
- The biblically based reason for leaving or joining a church is theology and doctrine.
- What does the church stand for?
- What fruit is being produced?
- Is the body of believers accomplishing more together than they can on their own?
Make It Personal
There are very few churches dialed in and focused today. Even when they are, there are still people inside messing things up! The good news is our faith is based on our personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Organized religion had problems before Jesus arrived and still does today, but the bible says we are to be involved in church for both ourselves and those we worship with.
