The Process of Leaving Church

The Pew Forum recently released a follow-up survey to their 2008 US Religious Landscape study. Entitled “Faith in Flux,” this new survey reveals that 28% of American adults have switched from one major religion to another at some point in their lives. The number rises to a 44% switch rate if changes within religious traditions are included, such as from one Protestant denomination to another.

They go further in their report:

The results of the new survey offer a fuller picture of the churn within American religion and suggest that previous estimates actually may have understated the amount of religious change taking place in the U.S. First, among the 56% of the population that currently belongs to the same religion as the one in which they were raised, one-in-six (16%) say there was a time in their life when they had a different faith than they have now. Combined with the 44% of the public that currently espouses a religion different than their childhood faith, this means that roughly half of the U.S. adult population has changed religion at some point in their life.

Their findings also corroborate the high dropout rate of 18-22 year-olds I write about in Essential Church. They report the following about the younger generation:

The survey finds that religious change begins early in life. Most of those who decided to leave their childhood faith say they did so before reaching age 24, and a large majority say they joined their current religion before reaching age 36. Very few report changing religions after reaching age 50.

Additionally, many people who left a religion to become unaffiliated say they did so in part because they think of religious people as hypocritical or judgmental, because religious organizations focus too much on rules or because religious leaders are too focused on power and money. Far fewer say they became unaffiliated because they believe that modern science proves that religion is just superstition.

Steven Koster at ThinkChristian highlighted an important chart from the Pew research:

He says of the chart, “I suppose the biggest thing I see is the gradual drift that seems to factor into the highest categories named.  It seems people don’t wake up one day and suddenly say ‘no more church for me!’ It’s a process of alienation, one of quiet struggle I suspect.”

I agree with Koster. The exodus is a process. And the process of leaving begins when the church has no process of discipleship.

One of the biggest problems in churches today is the lack of a clear process of discipleship. One of the signs of a struggling church is the inability to answer the question, “Now what?” A new believer or member becomes part of the body, yet the church does not communicate to them what’s next in order to become more like Christ.

What do you think about the lack of a discipleship process, as well as the process of leaving the church?

You can read the full report here. You can read commentary about the results here, here, and here. Feel free to leave your comments and insight at this blog.

Degaje and Other Lessons from Haiti

I had the privilege of going to Haiti last week to serve many of the missionaries there. I also had the incredible honor of preaching in Haitian churches. Our group partnered with Agape Flights, an organization that delivers mail and supplies to the missionaries. We stayed with the good folks at International Missions Outreach. I’ve listed some of my more memorable lessons from the trip.

The Degaje attitude. The language barrier is huge – it doesn’t take long to figure that out. Haitians speak creole, and I heard one term numerous times – “Degaje.” I asked one of the missionaries what it meant. It’s loosely translated “do what you got to do” or “make do with what you have.” They have limited resources compared to most churches in North America, but the worship was powerful, and God was glorified.

Confirmed calling by being on mission. I’m not sold out enough for God’s mission. And I take my own context in Southwest Florida for granted. But I went to Haiti without a computer, phone, or watch – those who know me realize how big a deal this was. I was determined not to let anything get in the way. We join God on His mission because we’re called to make Christ known, but one of the personal benefits of being on mission is the confirmation of God’s calling. The time I am most sure about what God wants me to do is when I am obedient to His mission. And the grass always seems a little greener when I’m not being as obedient.

Seeing the drama of God’s plan for redemption. God pursues people. He sends His Holy Spirit to soften hearts. He does not desire for anyone to perish. When I heard of repentant witchdoctors that became pastors, I was reminded of the powerful stories of God’s redemption.

Reinvigorated prayer life. In Haiti, I was convicted of how I don’t pray enough for hard things. I’ll pray for continued passion, discernment, and knowledge. I’ve never had to pray hard-pressed from two directions – desiring to stay on earth because of fruitful labor, but also wondering if it was time to depart with Christ. One cannot spend time with many of the missionaries without hearing of the eternal lifeline of prayer.

Refreshed appreciation for God’s joy. Haiti is a dark place. The people are poor by just about any standard. The government is corrupt. The land has been polluted by years of abuse. The powers of darkness have a strong spiritual influence. But the light shines much brighter in the darkness. I wondered why Haitian worship is blaring (my ears rang through my entire sermon). Then one of the missionaries told me that they want the community to hear it! The churches in Haiti are bright lights. God’s joy is clear in the eyes and smiles of the believers. And they share this joy because it’s the most precious commodity in the country.

God’s work is global. Being in a different context for a few days gave me more passion and new eyes for my own community. It’s good to go; it’s good to be home.

Welcome NOC Blog Tour

The National Outreach Convention will be making a stop at this blog on Wednesday. They’ll post a couple of questions in the comments, and I’ll reply to get the conversation going. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts. I’ll be leading a workshop at the convention in November, so I hope to see some of you there!

When You Hear Southern Baptist, You Think . . .

My father, Thom S. Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, wrote the following post after doing an unscientific Twitter survey. I was fascinated by the results from the Twittersphere concerning my denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. The results are posted below. Feel free to add your own comments.

My son, Sam, introduced me to Twitter about eight months ago. Twitter is one of the hottest entries into the world of social media in the past couple of years. The simple concept of Twitter is to make a comment in 140 characters or less, and allow the “twitterverse” to listen and, if they desire, to respond.

I initially thought I would just be a listener in this world. I really wanted to follow Sam’s comments, and perhaps those of a few close associates. But I quickly found myself making comments. I was hooked. Later my co-worker, Ed Stetzer, told his blog followers that I was “tweeting.” I then announced to all of LifeWay Christian Resources employees that they could keep track of me via Twitter. From that early start, I have since become one of the many addicted “tweeple.”

A person who tweets is known by his or her name in the twitterverse that begins with the @ sign. For example, of the three of us just mentioned we are @SamRainer, @ThomRainer, and @EdStetzer. My other sons are @ArtRainer and @JessRainer.

Okay, enough of Twitter lessons. I decided to try a survey to the growing world of Twitter. I knew the process would not be scientific, and that the results would not have great statistical validity. But it would be interesting. I asked a simple question: “What do you think when you hear ‘Southern Baptist’?” Those who are a part of Twitter had to respond in 140 characters or less.

Though I must be cautious in stating percentages, lest they be perceived as statistically accurate, the results were fascinating, if not a bit troubling. About 60% of the respondents gave a negative association. Another 30% were positive, and 10% were neutral or unclear.

Let’s look at the responses. I provide them in the order I received them. I tried to provide the exact responses, but I did edit a few for clarity.

Legalism, Controlling
Fights, Legalists
Hellfire and brimstone, Pharisees
Fried chicken, Don’t drink
Women who can’t wear pants, Disney boycott
Cooperative Program, Banjos
Adrian Rogers, Fundamentalism
Passion, Missions
Conservative, Conservative
Strategic, Bickering
Disney boycott, Pharisees
Piano, organ, and robes, Irrelevant
Boycotts, Vacation Bible School
Legalism, Becoming more Reformed
Narrow-minded, Fond memories, sad memories
Legalistic, Awesome dinners
Suits and dresses, Old school, traditional worship
Not real, Legalism
Behind the times, Extreme conservatism
Crazy people, Restricted missionaries
Very legalistic, Bible-believing
More about what you’re against, Jesus followers
Southerner, Swiss Army Knife, all blades open
Evangelizing, Loving yet legalistic
Biblical, Welcoming only to some
Socially relevant,  Talk, but does not walk missional
Deacon, Legalists
Introduced me to Jesus Christ, Safe
Southern,  Don’t understand spiritual gifts
Slavery, Country
Evangelism, Fundamentalist sect
Missions, Tradition
Strength, Legalism
Potential for maximum impact, Small, rural churches
Potential for complete irrelevancy, Easy believism
Inerrancy, Gospel overshadowed by politics
Inerrancy, Fighting
Uptight, Legalistic
Legalism, Passionate about holiness
Staunch, Stuffy holy rollers
Unwavering, Traditionalists
Fundamentalist, Lost the next generation
Hellfire and damnation, Old traditions
Too limited, Close minded
Self-righteous over grace, Hymns, pipe organs, choir
Antiquated, Don’t let God move
Pharisees, Legalism
Name that needs changing, Fights
Missions, Controlling
Baptist from the South, Younger generation desires reform
Relationship with Christ, Cooperation for missions
Baptisms, Missions
Tradition, Cooperative Program
Love, Contrast of old and new
My grandmother, Fried chicken
Solid doctrine, Worldwide missions
Inerrancy, Sunday school
Tradition, Bible
Disney boycott, More negative than positive
Old people, Conservative
Pipe organs, Biblical
In-fighting, Evangelistic
Tradition, Family connections
Legalism, Blind about miracles
Lottie Moon, No drinking
Rich in past, not in future, Don’t know water turned to wine
Fundamentalists, Fellowships
Legalism, Fried chicken and 3 desserts
Men in suspenders, Controlling
Right doctrine, Don’t trust laity
Missionaries, Business meetings
Other Baptists, Legalistic
Name that needs changing, Inefficient

The Crux of It All

It is no accident that Newsweek will publish this cover story the day after Easter. It’s available here online. The article uses as support a recent survey from researchers at the Trinity College in Hartford, CT. These researchers surveyed more than 54,461 people between February and November 2008. They found that the percentage of Americans identifying themselves as Christians has dropped from 86 percent in 1990 to 76 percent today.

Written by Newsweek’s editor, Jon Meacham, it’s a fair-minded article that demands the attention of the Christian community. The article points to the ten-point percentage decline of self-identified Christians over the past two decades. Meacham’s analysis is about how this statistic explains who we are now—and what, as a nation, we are about to become.

Both Dr. Al Mohler and Pastor Dan Kimball have already commented on the article.

Mohler, who was interviewed for the article, says this:

I appreciate the care, respect, and insight that mark this essay by Jon Meacham.  I also appreciated our conversation about an issue that concerns us both.  Still, I hope I did not reflect too much gloom in my analysis.  This much I know — Jesus Christ is Lord, and His kingdom is forever.  Our proper Christian response to this new challenge is not gloom, but concern.  And our first concern must be to see that the Gospel is preached as Good News to the perishing — including all those in post-Christian America.

Kimball says this:

So… gloomy…yes. But… no. Exciting. Adventure. Prayerful. Mission. So don’t let this cover discourage you – and then turn inward thinking the world is falling apart and we wait for the end times novel stories to come true so we can escape the “decline and fall”. But instead may it motivate us and provoke us all the further into mission and see living here in America all the more as a missional adventure filled with potential.

Perhaps in 5 years or 10 years we will see another article “The Rise of Rebirthing of The Church In America”.  A different kind of church perhaps. But oh my, what wonderful, crazy and hopeful times we are actually in.

I think their responses are spot on. We must refocus on that which is at the crux of it all.

The cover art grabs my attention most – the word “decline” making up the beam of the cross. It saddens me, but perhaps it is what we need – a percentage decline in our numbers to remind us of what needs to increase. The cross on the cover artistically depicts our decline but stands as a reminder of who needs to increase.

Rising up from the timeline of the human story, the cross is the critical peak of history. Everything builds up to it; everyone looks back on it. It is at the crux of it all. The word “crux” carries the weight of a dual meaning. It is both something that torments as well as a pivotal point.  The word is derived from a familiar, yet dreadful term: crucifixion. It was Jesus’ agony, His sacrifice in our stead, His atonement on the cross that enables us to have life abundantly.

His torment changes everything for us. Jesus substituted our spot at Golgotha, a place of unnatural death. The Creator of order and nature condescended to an unnatural death so that we may know life. The embodiment of perfect love experienced the ultimate hate crime so that we know eternal love.

But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!

May we decrease, so that He increases.