WHY DO PEOPLE LEAVE CHURCH?
by Rick Warren, edited by Papa G.
I love Rick Warren and his ministry. I pray for him. His life has blessed mine in so many ways. It puzzles me how quick some ministers are to judge him. That’s another blog. He says there are at least seven reasons identified in Scripture why people leave church:
1. Some people leave because of illness. There are people who are sick form time to time and are unable to attend public worship. What do we do about those kinds of non-church attenders? We are to visit them! Jesus says, “I was sick and you visited Me. And they will say, When did we visit You Lord? Anytime you have done it to the least of these My brethren you have done it to Me.” Matt. 25:40
2. Some people leave because of job transfers. Acts 18:1-3 This is very common today! In Acts 18 we read about Pricilla and Aquila who were tent makers. It talks about how they had to leave their home but in their moving around (job transfers) God led them to the planting of three churches! But, no Christ-follower should just accept a transfer because of more money and benefits! There needs to be serious prayer and counsel before you move your family across the state or country! I (Papa G) have seen people who just decided God wanted them to make more money and when the opportunity came to move they just did it, without asking for prayer or seeking spiritual counsel. It had devastating effects on their children and teenagers.
It is amazing how people come and go all the time. Stats say that one out of every seven people changes job annually. That means theoretically in seven years there could be a 100% turnover in the church if people moved out. Across the board in America, between 15-25% of people move annually. So, that means in the church, 15-25% of our people leave in a year (in college towns its more like 30-35%!).
It is amazing how many people I have seen come and go in 22 ½ years here at Stone Creek Church. People I loved, but they got moved across the country! It is a fact of life. Does not mean the church is in trouble. It just says it is a fact of life that we live in a very mobile society. They didn’t get angry, they just moved.
If 15-25% move away every year that means for a church to break even we have to reach 15-25% new people ever year. It means that if we grow 20%, we are actually growing 35-45% because there are people going out the back door. Unfortunately, the church is not a place where people come and stay put for life as in past centuries and even decades.
3. A third reason people leave church if because they fear accountability. Acts 2:42-47 Some people hop around from church to church because they are afraid they will have to change their lifestyle. They really like going to larger churches so they can hide in the crowd. But when someone talks to them about being in a small group so they can grow, they are gone! Out of here. Hop and hop—because they are afraid of accountability.
4. Worldliness. 2 Timothy 4:10 Demas is the New Testament example of leaving. Today, 4.people leave church because of personal worldliness and carnality. They backslide. This is a common reason why people church and yet they tend to blame someone. Over the years here in Urbana, I have asked people why they left our church and they usually come up with some lame excuse. I have pressed and asked them to be honest and they admit there is too much commitment we require.
Anytime I have done a major building campaign and even some not so big ones, people have always left our church. Why? Because they want to be on the ship but they do not want to pay for the ship. Sick and sad.
5. Divisiveness. I have seen people leave because they have disagreed on different things. One guy left because we do not use the ESV translation of the Bible!
It is silly to expect people to have 100% agreement in the church. Even great Christians like Paul and Barnabus disagreed. It is possible to have unity without uniformity! We can walk arm and arm together without seeing eye to eye. We can be in harmony together without having to be alike in every area.
“I urge you brethren, note those who cause division and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you learned and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ but by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” Romans 16:17-18
This is one of the ways that Satan attacks the church, through divisiveness. Jesus shared the parable of the sower, of the tares and the wheat. It says in the wheat field, the weeds will grow up. He later explains that among the people of God (the church) there will be those who act like it but they are not legitimate believers. They are put in the church by the devil to cause trouble. We have to be aware of this. I have seen this here at Stone Creek Church. We are a fellowship that God is blessing and yet there have been people over the years that the devil brought into the church to cause division and dissention. The Bible says, “By their fruits you shall know them.”
6. Unresolved personal conflict. This is probably the number one reason why people leave a church. They just cannot get along with somebody. Perhaps they grew up in a family where they never learned to deal with conflict in healthy ways. We know the church is a family and we know that families have conflicts and disagreements. I have been married to my wife for over 37 years and we still have conflicts and disagreements!
But my commitment to her is 100% and so is her commitment to me. This is what makes relationships work. Church is the same way. In order for church to work we have to be 100% committed. What happens is that when relationship conflict comes in the church people run. It keeps them from God’s best and from really growing in God’s purposes for their lives.
Couples who do not learn to handle conflict end up separating and then get a divorce. I have seen people do the same thing with their church. They divorce their church. It is easier to do. But they go to another church and find out it is not perfect either. There are no perfect churches, they do not exist! Worse yet, I have seen people leave and they stop going to church and growing spiritually.
7. The happiest reason people leave a church is when they are sent out to minister. In Acts 13:2-3 Barnabus and Saul were sent out by the great church at Antioch. This is our model.
I have seen this with those whose helped us launch Champaign Chinese Christian Church, Crossroads Campus Church here at the U of I, Elder Terry & Linda Harvey and those who went with them to plant Crossroads Church in Villa Grove, Illinois, Jeong and Jin Lee who planted the Korean AG church in Ann Arbor, MI those who helped revitalize Lake of the Woods Church in Mahomet, Illinois.
I have seen this with those who were sent out to minister as missionaries from this church all over the world spreading the gospel. Blessing Adeoye in Nigeria; Bill & Kim Snider, Ver & Linda Jacinto & Myrna Barr all in the Philippines; Crystal Halford in Japan; Tom & Cynthia Bloomer in Switzerland; Josh Payne in Russia; Russell & Ann Fryer in Asia; Cheri Truax in Ukraine; Doug Burwell in Guatemala; Frank & Anna Li, Chinese Ministries; Dave & Valerie Short, campus ministries in Chicagoland; Wayne & Kristi Northup, evangelists; Erik & Jenny Klouse, U of I Intervarsity; TC Moore, Boston, MA.
This is the great reason to leave a church. You are commissioned to serve!
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