Where Are People Leaving the Church Going? - FELICITY DALE CHARISMA NEWS

Sociologist Josh Packard says that 65 million people have left the church. These are former leaders who love God. Where are they going? (Charisma archives)

Where Are People Leaving the Church Going?

11/29/2015 FELICITY DALE  charisma news

John White has been a friend for many years. We first met in 2001 when he came to our home to hear Wolfgang Simson speak, near the beginning of the simple/organic/house church movement in this country. John now runs a community for followers of Jesus around the world who explore rhythms of life that result in vibrant churches meeting outside the walls of the building (Lk10.com). John is not normally an emotional guy, but he broke down in tears at "The Future of the Church Summit." In this blogpost from the Lk10 site, he explains why:

Future of the Church Summit

I just returned from Loveland, CO where I attended a Conference sponsored by Group Publishing with about 130 church leaders on "The Future of the Church". On the last day, I was part of a panel and was asked to share a bit about LK10. Click on my picture below to hear what happened when I started to talk...

(By the way, make sure you see more information about Josh Packard's research below my video.)

While there were many presenters at the Summit, the most important, by far was Josh Packard. Josh is a sociologist who's research has uncovered the fact that 65 million Americans (31% of the adult population) are what he calls the "Dones". These are people who were once part of a church. In fact, they were often leaders, the "best and the brightest" according to Josh, but they are now "done" with church as they have known it. What's more, these people, for the most part, aren't going back. I can't tell you what a staggering statistic this is!

The picture that came to me was Morpheus talking to Neo in the movie The Matrix. (Although Josh is nothing like Morpheus!) Morpheus: Let me tell you why you are here. You are here because you know something. What you know you can't explain. But, you feel it. You felt it your entire life. That there is something wrong with the world (or the church?). You don't know what it is but it's there. Like a splinter in your mind.

Click on the photo to watch this 5 minute clip of Morpheus talking to Neo.

For a long time, a great many people have had this "splinter in their mind" regarding church but they couldn't explain it. And, now Josh has pulled the cover back and exposed what is really going on.

Two ways to hear more of what Josh has uncovered...

• 8 minute video describing the "Dones" ("They are not "casual Christians" or occasional attendees. Most were in some leadership position in their church."
• 90 minute video. In depth interview with Josh Packard about the "Dones". ("Most of these people are not coming back.")

Back to the Future

While the Dones are not going back to the institutional church no matter how much it is "tweaked", most of them have not abandoned God. In fact, some say that they have left "the church" to preserve their faith. And, the kind of church they are interested in looks surprisingly like the church portrayed in the book of Acts. Here are some of the characteristics of that church ...

1. All the churches in the Bible met in a home and functioned like a small spiritual family. The current institutional church, by contrast, spends a great deal of energy and money getting and maintaining a church building.
2. The churches in the Bible were simple. We describe "simple church" as a way of being/doing church where any believer could say, "I could do that!". ("they were astonished that Peter and John were unschooled, ordinary men" (Acts 4:13).) The institutional church, by contrast, requires highly educated, highly school (seminary, etc.) highly creative people to be successful. (Think Rick Warren, for instance.)
3. In the New Testament (NT) churches, everyone used their gifts. In institutional church, only a few, highly gifted people (worship leaders, preachers, etc.) use their gifts.
4. In NT church, Jesus brought the agenda for the meetings. In institutional churches, a few, very smart people design the worship experiences.
5. In the NT, churches were started in a few hours or a few days. Institutional churches require a great deal of planning and resources and take months or years to start.

Next step?

Want to learn more about doing/being church outside the institutional church? Check out a free four week course called Church 101.

Adapted from Felicity Dale's blog, Kingdom Women. Felicity Dale is an author and an advocate for women in the church. She trains people to start simple, organic house churches around the world.

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Miraculous: How Suffering Made Cuba's Church Grow

Miraculous: How Suffering Made Cuba's Church Grow

By Heather Sells

CBN News Reporter

Tuesday, September 08, 2015

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HAVANA -- As Cuba transitions to a new relationship with the United States, Americans have a renewed interest in learning how the church there has fared for the last 50 plus years.

The short answer is: amazingly well. In fact, many believe the hardships and suffering have paved the way for an explosion of church planting.

Comfort not a Concern

On a typical Sunday morning in Cuba, you can find churches across the island overflowing with worshippers. Many meet in homes and others meet in churches that look more North American but operate in a political climate that is very different.

Space is the biggest challenge for many churches. Under current government rules they typically cannot buy land or expand. One church CBN News visited responded to the rules by building several stories up. Others cram into homes and multiply when they become too big.

Pastor "Miguel" leads a church that used to meet in an apartment but now meets in the yard next to his apartment building.

"When you have 80 to 100 people [meeting] in an apartment it's hard, very hard," he told CBN News. "And neighbors get upset."

It's a common theme in Cuban churches, but it seems to have also helped to encourage church growth. In the past 20 years, more than 16,000 evangelical churches have opened their doors.

Pastor "Nestor" and his wife "Rosa" live in one room above their tiny house church. He told CBN News, "One of the things that has made us grow in faith has been the limitations and the difficulties."

On Sunday mornings and during weeknight services, only a few will have a real seat.

"People here don't care how comfortable they are," Rosa explained. "They could be exhausted from working all day and they will sit on a bag of rocks, a stitched up chair, or stand the whole service, and they're okay with that."

Home Church Explosion

Cuban church leaders say events led by the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s sparked the current church planting explosion.

"When the Russian government collapsed Cuba went through a lot, and people started looking to churches for hope," Pastor "Julio" told CBN News.  

At the same time, the government ended its atheistic philosophy that denied the existence of God and instead declared itself a secular state, prompting an entire generation to question what it believed.

During that period a government official told Cuban Baptists that the government could not authorize the construction of new buildings but suggested that the believers meet in homes.

The casual suggestion sparked a house church movement that many have compared to church history recorded in the book of Acts.

Pastor "Francisco" is one of thousands of Cuban house church pastors who follow the Gospel with tremendous passion. He came to the Lord after having dreams about Jesus for three years. Now he leads a small neighborhood church that meets three times a week.

"We have evangelized everyone who lives in this area, a New Testament Bible to each home," he told CBN News. "We can't stop -- we won't stop -- because even if they won't accept the Lord the first, second, third or fourth time, even so -- we can't stop until they come to the Lord."

Victory through Challenge

The growth of the church in Cuba is even more miraculous given the country's poverty. The average monthly government salary is $20 and professionals typically make less than $50.

Still, Cuban churches are known for their generosity and willingness to sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel.

"What we have we want to share with others," Francisco said. "What we have, not what we have left over."

Another obstacle facing Cuban churches is spiritual warfare in the form of Santeria. It's a system of beliefs influenced by West African religions and Catholicism. Santeria is known for its rituals and ceremonies.

Pastor Nestor has faced resistance right in the neighborhood. During one Sunday morning worship service, a group of Santeria followers stood just outside the church and began beating their drums.

"It was kind of like a spiritual face-off," Nestor recalled. "The church just started praying and then we prayed for rain and all of a sudden there was thunder so they had to leave."

Church leaders in Cuba say they're enjoying a new season of relaxed restrictions. It's easier to evangelize outside the church and they receive more permits to hold special events.

Still, most churches cannot expand or buy land. They cannot produce Christian radio or television shows.

They must also work around a dysfunctional economy. At Pastor Nestor's church, remodeling plans for the sanctuary are on hold indefinitely until the church can obtain much-needed cement.

"Sometime without suffering there's no challenge," Pastor Nestor told CBN News. "And without that challenge, there's no victory."