[anncoulteriscool]

*****Of 16 million Southern Baptists on the rolls of America's largest Protestant denomination, plus another 4 million "adherents" who attend but haven't joined the church, only 8 million are in church each week, says Thom S. Rainer, dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Ky.******

Thats interesting they used to always say that the thing that helped southern baptist membership was that if someone left the church there would always be someone a friend perhaps to welcome or invite them back to the church. I geuss that must not be so true anymore

[anncoulteriscool]

My theory on why this is happened is as follows:

Many years ago there were alot more banks and when you went to the bank you may have actually known who the teller was and since there were many banks to choose from they worked harder on customer service. Now with banks merging there are fewer to choose from you feel like "a number" and maybe the customer service is not so greaat....I think to some extent people feel left out the mega-church where it can kinda seem a bit phony where everyone goes put on an act, smiles and says "i'm great how are you" but they dont really feel like they really know anyone so after a while they just wonder why am i bothering to do this...i am pray ann read the Bible at home. Oh well, those are my thoughts...keep the dime!

[narses]

While this article talks about Protestant congregations, it is quite relevant to the crisis in the Catholic Church, at least imho. Thanks for the post.

The most common reason people leave church, Mr. Rainer says, is that it's too similar to their everyday lives. They are searching for a spiritual community, radically different from their workaday environment, that demands a higher commitment.

The most important factor in retaining converts seems to be the use of "member preparation" classes before a church enrolls or baptizes a newcomer. Churches that have such classes, Mr. Rainer said, "have a retention rate 14 to 20 times higher" than those that do not.

[RochesterFan]

The most common reason people leave church, Mr. Rainer says, is that it's too similar to their everyday lives. They are searching for a spiritual community, radically different from their workaday environment, that demands a higher commitment.

May I suggest an alternate interpretation of the observations. First, I think that in the quest for numbers, many have substituted "easy-believism" for the Gospel.

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved [Rom 10:9]

The concept of "confessing Jesus as Lord" is more than an intellectual exercise. It includes acknowledging Jesus as the sovereign will over your life.

Next, I suggest that many reject the Truth of the Scriptures for "feel-good teaching."

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires...[2 Ti 4:3]

[Commander8]

A great deal of why churches are shrinking is beacuse many of them are performing Godectomies on themselves, throwing out sound doctrine and replacing the King James Version with "Modern" Versions. Another thing to take into account is how the media tends to paint all of Christianity with a broad brush every time a Jimmy Bakker or Jimmy Swaggert rears his head.

[CubicleGuy]

Maybe they just misunderstood the doctrine of "once saved, always saved".

Or maybe they understood it too well.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Many are felled by a crisis of faith that sends people into agnosticism or antagonism. Others say their faith is irrelevant to their daily lives.

IMO :) the people who leave their church after being members even for yrs., especially if they leave after some crisis in their life, leave because their whole religion, belief system, faith (call it what you will) was based on their feelings, emotionalism, rather then on the actual Word of God. God never promised that the christian life would be easy. In fact quite the opposite.

Becky

[Salvation]

win back those who have left.

We are just now starting our second series of "Catholics Can Come Home Again". The first series we had 15 people attend and nine came back to the church.

Two weeks ago when we started this one we had nine people come and it looks like they will all stay. Might have one leave.

Anyone who is interested can FReepmail me for the details about the curricula.