Thoughts: Why do people leave the church? People have left the church continually- it is not a new phenomenon. People have left the church- forsaking worship- for many different reasons. Calvin, tried to understand why two people can hear the same gracious word and respond in two different ways. He would say one was predestined and the other was not. The focus for Calvin was not on our mind and our choice as much as on God the ruler of human hearts.
But on another level, people leave supposedly of their own free will for various reasons. Here are what I say would be the top three.
1) A lack of faith- In our day, this is the crisis. We are focused more on what we see than what we do not. We are focused on our own accomplishments, and have a hard time believing in the mysteries of life. Often pride gets in the way of faith- we just can't humble ourselves before God. We think we know better than God's way, than God's person. We focus on what we see so much that we cannot believe in anything mysterious.
2) A lack of love- We are excited about human accomplishment- from money, work, sports, beauty, star-power, and less excited about God. We love so many other things other than God, that we have little room for a God who calls us to love Himself above all others.
3) A lack of hope- Some are caught up in worry- feeling that they must handle things by themselves, knowing they cannot. So they let worry take away their hope. Many quit church because they have had sadness. They despair over some sadness or sin and cannot come back. Guilt is powerful enough to keep someone away from church. But the church is a hospital for sinners- that offers good news to erase guilt, give love (and meaning), and encourage faith. Too many times the sick will not go to the doctor, and the spiritually sick would rather languish then go to the hospital of faith.
Prayer: Lord, help me to find faith, hope, and love- instead of skepticism, worry, and apathy.
