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Undoubtedly, there are many reasons, and over the coming months we want to thoughtfully explore several of them. First, thank you to so many of you who have shared your experiences and perspectives with us—whether explaining why you left or why you believe others are leaving. Your honesty and openness have helped us think more carefully about this subject. 🙏 In a recent newsletter, we suggested that most answers to this question tend to fall into four broad categories. Some leave because they feel the church is not providing something they are searching for. Others leave because of painful or disappointing experiences. Many also leave because they disagree with certain practices or teachings of the church. In the months ahead, we hope to address each of these concerns. ➡️ This week, however, we want to focus on another reason: the gradual drift away from church involvement caused by college, careers, and increasingly busy schedules. In many cases, a lack of connection within the church contributes to this drift. We can see how drift can happen. Someone decides to pursue an advanced degree and begins feeling like every spare moment must go toward his or her studies. Work responsibilities start creeping into evenings and weekends. Children’s activities begin competing with church involvement. Little by little, priorities shift. Before long, those who once attended every service find themselves attending less and less. Then one day, often without even realizing it, church is no longer part of their regular lives. Busy schedules and changing lifestyles can slowly pull people away. We believe there is an important message here both for those who may be drifting and for the church itself. First, we understand that life can become overwhelmingly busy. Jesus recognized this challenge when he warned that “the cares of the world” can crowd out and eventually choke spiritual growth (Mark 4:1–20). The writer of Hebrews echoed this concern, warning against the subtle danger of drifting away and encouraging believers not to “neglect meeting together,” but to continue strengthening one another in faith (Hebrews 2:1–4; 10:23–25). So, to those who may feel buried beneath the demands of life and disconnected from Jesus and his church, we want to gently encourage you to reconnect. Reach out to someone you trust and respect who can help you reverse the drift that a busy lifestyle can create. Second, what can we do as a church to help prevent this kind of drift? Perhaps the best place to begin is by responding to three questions: How can we foster deeper and more meaningful relationships within our church family? How can we equip and encourage more leaders to care for those who may be drifting away? How can our church better respond to the realities and pressures of modern life?
We’ll respond to these three questions and say more about the danger of drifting from the church in this week’s podcast.
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