Hello, friends!

In this week’s newsletter, we continue our discussion of why some younger adult Christians say they left Churches of Christ.

(Please note: We are reporting survey findings in this issue of Growing Steady, Together. If you are interested in a more in-depth discussion of these findings, including a response from us on this topic, we encourage you to listen to this week’s podcast.)

To review, we were asked: Why are so many 20-30 year-olds leaving Churches of Christ? We asked people to weigh in on this question, and we heard from many who had left. We grouped their responses into four, broad categories. And, in case you missed our more in-depth discussion of these responses, we’re linking the podcast episodes where we discuss them:

• A few mentioned that busy schedules and lifestyles gradually caused them to drift away.

• Many said the church simply wasn’t providing what they were looking for. (Part 1; Part 2).

• Others shared that difficult or painful experiences within the church played a role in their departure.

• Most said they left because of disagreements with certain practices, policies, or teachings.

➡️ In this issue (and this week’s podcast) we focus our discussion on the latter category: some said they left because they did not agree with some position the church had taken.

Among those who left over disagreements with the church’s teachings, the one mentioned most often concerned the role of women.

Many younger adults expressed frustration with their church’s unwillingness to grant women an expanded role. A few themes stood out in their responses to us:

• Limited leadership — Not being able to serve as an elder, deacon, or preacher was a sticking point for some.

• A wish for a greater voice — Some found it hard to reconcile women speaking freely in a 9 a.m. Bible class, then being asked to be silent in the 10 a.m. worship assembly. Others noted they weren’t considered for certain committees simply because they were women.

• A desire for broader involvement — Some felt that the roles most consistently open to women — for example, nursery care, teaching young children, and preparing food — don’t reflect the fuller range of gifts women bring to a congregation.

In our next issue, we’ll look at other teachings younger adult Christians said they disagreed with which contributed to their departure from Churches of Christ.

For a more in-depth discussion of this topic, tune in to this week’s Church Things podcast, “Why They Left: The Role of Women.”

*You can listen on Spotify, too!

From the Apostle Paul:

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.”

— Galatians 3:28,29 (NRSV)

A prayer:

Father,

We ask for wisdom — especially for our leaders. Please give them wisdom and courage as they try to do your will and serve those you’ve entrusted to their care.

We ask for a sincere love for one another. Help us to love each other well, even when we don’t see eye to eye.

We ask for humility. Humility to search the scriptures honestly. Humility to listen to one another with patience. Humility to hold our own conclusions without pride.

And, we ask for a single-minded focus. Make it our aim to please you in all we do and to live as you would have us live.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

May God richly bless you!

Kerry and Becky

🤔 What’s on your mind?

Just a reminder: if you would like a sounding board for some “church thing”—a situation, question, problem, or concern—we’d be happy to reflect on it with you. Let us know what it is, and we’ll be honored to respond!