Despite the almost mantra-like status of the statement “people are leaving the church” there still appears to be little understanding about who is leaving, when they leave, why they leave, and what happens to them and their faith after they leave. Of course everyone has their own view on these issues but few, especially our church leaders, have taken the time to sit down and talk with an actual leaver or two.

It is much easier dealing with stereotypes than actual people, even if the stereotypes don’t help us understand what is really going on. For those interested in moving beyond the stereotypes and asking: “Who are these people who are leaving our churches?” an examination of some myths about church leavers may prove helpful.

Alan Jamieson

I first came across Alan Jamieson’s work through Julia Duin’s book, Quitting Church.

Here is his list:

Myth #1

It is only the traditional mainline churches that have large numbers of leavers. While it is true that people are leaving the traditional churches people are also leaving evangelical, charismatic and Pentecostal churches.

Myth #2

The people who leave are young adults, people on the fringe of our churches, and people who have not been in the church for very long.

Myth #3

Those with children are less likely to leave.

Myth #4

If Mom and Dad go to church, their children will grow up to be churchgoers too.

Myth #5

The people who leave lack commitment.

Myth #6

Leavers don’t have an adequate grounding in the faith.

Myth #7

They leave because of the increased pressure on people’s time today.

Myth #8

They leave because of personal issues and disagreements with church leaders.

Myth #9

They’ll be coming back.

Myth #10

They are backsliding and giving away their faith.

Read Alan Jamieson’s original article here.

I like this list for two reasons: 1) Alan has done a lot of research in this area and these myths are actually well-documented (see original post) and therefore, this list is anything but arbitrary; and, 2) I know of “church leavers” who have been hurt deeply and ostracized because their church “friends” actually believed many of these myths.

I hope that pastors and denominational leaders are listening!

Were any of these myths particularly enlightening for you?