People Leaving Church is the Wrong Focus

Thoughts on what might be the right focus

Off and on in my adult life I tried playing golf. It did not work. I lacked everything it took to play well enough to enjoy it as recreation. If there was a body of water, a bunker, or a tree I could find it. I never got beyond the point of fixing what was wrong with my game.

The only way I could finally stop focusing on what was wrong was to give my clubs away. So, I did.

Research, Writings, and Why People are Leaving Church

During the past few months, I connected with research, articles, and books about people leaving church, the future of denominations, and the loss of the majority status of Christianity at some point in the next four or five decades.

Many of these were outstanding studies. Academically worthy. Insightful in their conclusions. I loved reading the trends, demographic segmentations, and the reasons given for leaving.

Particularly in the articles and books written about various research efforts on a dwindling commitment to organized Christian faith participation, the focus was on what’s wrong with the church. That was understandable from a reviewer’s perspective.

But that presented a challenge of the kind I had when trying to play golf.

Churches Should Not Focus on People Leaving Church

When church leaders read the research, articles, and books on why people are leaving church, they develop the wrong focus. They try to fix whatever is not working in their church so people will not leave.

Too often it does not work.

Consider my golf game. Many times I would stand in the tee box ready to hit the golf ball down the middle of the fairway while saying to myself, “Don’t hit it in the water,” and then I would hit it in the water.

Likewise, churches do something similar. They try hard to fix what is wrong yet keep doing what is wrong. The research tells them they are doing it wrong, but they keep doing it.

One of my favorite statements about this comes from a church consultant popular during the 1970s to early 2000s – Kennon Callahan. Kennon often said you can fix everything that is wrong with a church and bring it right up to neutral. It is not what’s wrong if fixed that will help a church move forward. It is what is right with the church.

It is the signs of health strength that move a church forward.

Churches Should Focus on Why People Engage Church

What we need is more research, articles that spread the news, and books that talk about the long-term trends of why people choose to engage in organized Christian faith.

Not more church growth research, articles and books that talk about the latest program or emphasis that grows churches. Not the latest attractional approach. Not how a church recruited more people to become members.

Needed are live qualitative conversations with people in your church context. Begin with people who are first- or second-time guests as they are engaging with your congregation.

Ask new attendees what they were looking for and did they find it in your congregation. Be sure you stay focused on what being part of your congregation can do for them rather than what they can do for your congregation.

Clues: Ask about what type of spiritual or life relationships they are looking for. You will likely find the search for community to be a big issue. How do they define what they are looking for in relationships and community?

We will talk about this more on this blog. Later you will need to talk with people who never attend your church. They engage with you virtually but do not attend.

Recent Research and Writings on People Leaving Church

(Here are some recents releases of research and articles about the research. Some may require formally connecting with their website to read them. This is a selective list and not comprehensive. Other reports and writing have been released by various sources.)

• Research points to generational shifts in church attendance

• Church Attendance Dropped Among Young People, Singles, Liberals

• A mass exodus from Christianity is underway in America. Here’s why.

• Fewer than half of Americans may be Christian by 2070, according to new projections

• Slowdown in the Rise of Religious Nones

• Faith After the Pandemic: How COVID-19 Changed American Religion

• More Americans stay away from church as pandemic nears year three

• Young adults and those who attended church infrequently before pandemic are most likely to be missing from church today

The Baptist Association

(Recent columns on the Baptist association in the Southern Baptist tradition by George Bullard.)

• The spiritual draw to serve a Baptist association

• Climate change needed for funding Baptist associations

• 10 funding streams: New climate for financially supporting Baptist associations