David Kenney in Relevant Magazine has written an interesting article on his friends leaving the church. He writes:
Recently some friends my age left the church that I go to, and I have to say; I felt kind of slighted by the whole thing. Now they are going to a different church, and I am sure they have their reasons. But it just feels like it wasn’t just the church they left: it feels like they left me. The next time I saw them, I asked how things were going, but ultimately I really wanted to know why they had moved on.
His comments are interesting in respect of the idea that church members expect to ‘be fed’ when they attend church and the rights and wrongs of that.
Andrew Rigg has also posted this week on another aspect of this, when churches actively try to poach members from other local congregations. How is a pastor meant to deal with this and how should they feel. There are also some interesting comments to this post that are worth reading.
And yesterday, on the slightly different topic of people leaving the established church, but not to another church, but to communal living, Andrew Jones has posted on Leaving Church. This is in relation to missional living and taking the emphasis of church away from buildings. He writes;
If you live in the UK and have left the church, but have not abandoned the body of Christ and still want you and your friends to be a part of God’s mission and party, send me an email to let me know who you are and a link to your website if you have one. We are putting together a website that will be dedicated to empowering people like you to be the church where you are
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25 April 2007 at 8:21 pm
The reasons for changing churches « Church website and blog ideas
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28 January 2009 at 1:03 am
Charlotte
I think it is interesting that the article in Relevant Magazine mentioned that he was hurt that the person leaving had not taken time to go to him and tell him why he was leaving.
I have an idea that his going was to a great deal for that very reason. The author expected the one leaving to go to him. Why didn’t HE go to the one who left and said, Please, why have you left? Not wait for a casual interchange in some public place that allows about 30 seconds for a quick summary. How about a lunch together? Or couple to couple dinner, both where truly meaningful interaction can take place.
I am sick of 30 second conversations.
And please excuse me. What is wrong with expecting to be fed. Jesus told Peter to do exactly that. We are sheep. And we cannot give out what we have not received. To put all the blame on the one who is starving is a little hypocritical. I think scripture makes it clear that to a certain degree yes, we ARE our brother’s keepers. I don’t know anyone personally who is starving but what it was after a long season of giving and giving and giving and receiving little or nothing in return — certainly little spiritual food.