We all have heard
of the “nones,” the fastest growing segment of our population who have no
church background, affiliation or understanding of church life. But there is
also a growing number of “dones.” Those who do have church backgrounds,
affiliations and understanding of church life but are done with it all.
The top reasons:
The church is judgmental. Yes, it is, but as humans we are judgmental at every level: work, social class, race, etc…
The church is full of hypocrites. Guilty again. But leaving the church won’t make it better. Being authentic, transparent and helping others will.
The church is too institutional. It is possible to be too institutional instead of taking a loosely-organized organic community. But being anti-institutional isn’t good either. A happy medium is needed in the church.
The church is too political. True. But the good news is that God is not a Democrat, Republican or Independent. There is a whole new generation moving up (Praise God) who are tired of political bullying. They want meaningful conversations.
The church complicates my life. Too many events interfere with my life. Thankfully, God is raising up a generation of church leaders who are driven by God’s eternal purpose for the church rather than by programs, events and schedules.
The church is too dogmatic. Maybe. But truth is truth. And if we leave no room for dialogue or conversation then we can appear dogmatic. Let’s leave room for real discussion.
The church just wants my money. This is a tough one because Jesus and the Bible talk more about this subject than any other. Generosity and giving is a spiritual issue, not a financial issue. When we give, we reflect God’s nature, our faith grows and the world is ultimately impacted. We’ve got to talk about it.
The church doesn’t care about issues that matter. What matters to you may not matter to me. The single most important issue is the gospel and proclamation. I am impressed that the church is waking up to problems of poverty, education, environment, human trafficking, civil rights, etc… We shouldn’t be afraid to address these things.
The church let me down. No one church can meet everyone’s need, solve everyone’s problem, connect with everybody. So, what if nobody bailed? What if everyone decided to stay and work out their issues and be part of the solution?
Don’t say “I’m done,” rather “I’m done with my part in the problems I see, but I’m going to be part of the solution.”
Blessings,
The top reasons:
The church is judgmental. Yes, it is, but as humans we are judgmental at every level: work, social class, race, etc…
The church is full of hypocrites. Guilty again. But leaving the church won’t make it better. Being authentic, transparent and helping others will.
The church is too institutional. It is possible to be too institutional instead of taking a loosely-organized organic community. But being anti-institutional isn’t good either. A happy medium is needed in the church.
The church is too political. True. But the good news is that God is not a Democrat, Republican or Independent. There is a whole new generation moving up (Praise God) who are tired of political bullying. They want meaningful conversations.
The church complicates my life. Too many events interfere with my life. Thankfully, God is raising up a generation of church leaders who are driven by God’s eternal purpose for the church rather than by programs, events and schedules.
The church is too dogmatic. Maybe. But truth is truth. And if we leave no room for dialogue or conversation then we can appear dogmatic. Let’s leave room for real discussion.
The church just wants my money. This is a tough one because Jesus and the Bible talk more about this subject than any other. Generosity and giving is a spiritual issue, not a financial issue. When we give, we reflect God’s nature, our faith grows and the world is ultimately impacted. We’ve got to talk about it.
The church doesn’t care about issues that matter. What matters to you may not matter to me. The single most important issue is the gospel and proclamation. I am impressed that the church is waking up to problems of poverty, education, environment, human trafficking, civil rights, etc… We shouldn’t be afraid to address these things.
The church let me down. No one church can meet everyone’s need, solve everyone’s problem, connect with everybody. So, what if nobody bailed? What if everyone decided to stay and work out their issues and be part of the solution?
Don’t say “I’m done,” rather “I’m done with my part in the problems I see, but I’m going to be part of the solution.”
Blessings,
P.S. Facing a terminal illness? A child of divorce? Struggling as a single mom to raise your family? Choosing purity over promiscuity? All these things take courage. How courageous are you as a person? This Sunday at 9:15am and 11:00am we begin a three week journey on courage: standing strong during trying times.
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