I just found this graphic on a post today from Think Christian. You can check out their post here.
I wanted to comment on the #1 reason they cite above as "just gradually drifted away from the religion". What this screams out to me is the need for authentic community life in our churches. We need to teach it and model it. People usually don't tend to drift away (generally speaking) when they feel loved, needed and cared for.
Are we simply doing the great commandment of loving God and loving people? How does the second part of that command flesh itself out in your context? My hunch (matched with some experience) is that if we worked harder at making people feel loved through real relationships we would see the number of people "who drift gradually away" decrease.
Sounds pretty simple, right? Yeah, like most things in the Christian life are: very simple, yet very hard to actually implement and live out. Let's keep fighting for the truth to be tangible and real!
4 comments:
Could it also be attributed, at least some part, to the following?
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. - 1 John 2:19 (ESV)
Jerry,
Good point. That certainly needs to be factored in.
z
Dr. Sinclair Ferguson had an awesome message on "Restoring the Wanderer." He suggests that there are signs that should be noticed in others...and self...of the early symptoms of wandering. He relates the loss of interest and joy to having an affair on God with the world. Great, convicting message.
It came into my Juice podcast program recently. It is available at
http://www.firstprescolumbia.org/templates/System/details.asp?id=43244&PID=592685
In the player that opens, search for "Wanderer," and it will probably be the only one that comes up. It's dated June 2008.
Forgot to mention, Dr. Ferguson's message was on James 5:19-20
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Also, this past week's White Horse Inn show on Biblical Ignorance touches on this issue to some extent ... some more on the lower percentage items, like what people are looking for in church.
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