2. They want to be equipped to improve their lives, not wallow around in brokenness with perpetually broken people.
A Christianity that isn’t changing individuals won’t change the world either.
“Misery loves company” works for bars, but it’s not a good long-term growth strategy for churches. Maybe people figure that if Christians are as messed up as everyone else anyway, they can just stay messed up while sleeping in on Sunday mornings.
3. They’ve found other ways to connect with people outside of church, including social media.
So if the church isn’t offering relationships with substance, why would they want to stick around?
There are a million places on TV and the Internet to hear good preaching and teaching, without feeling the awkwardness or pressure that can come with attending church.
Now more than ever, the “people factor” and genuine community are important for churches to get right, because people don’t need church to connect anymore.
4. Sometimes people leave because they’re backsliding.
Churches can be doing everything right and still lose some people because of this.
And although I don’t have a poll to prove it (has Barna surveyed any backsliders lately?), I’d guess that young adults are more likely to go through seasons of rebellion than older Christians.
The question is, how much do some of the other factors listed above encourage a culture of backsliding in a congregation?
