The fourth reason for faster church decline as laid out by church consultant Thom Rainer is related to the second reason. We previously discussed the decline in the number of people from the Builder generation born before 1945. This was a generation that was fiercely loyal to institutions. Generations since are less loyal leading to factor number 4: faster church transfers. People are now less loyal and big churches that have more programs and amenities are growing at the expense of smaller churches.
There is often a desire to bring back those who have left but research shows that once someone has left a church they rarely return. What a church can do, however, is seek input from those who left within the last two years. This provides an opportunity to evaluate the reasons and see what adjustments can be made in a local church for greater retention. You have friends who have left CHUMC recently. Give them a call and ask if they will share their feedback with you. You might be surprised by what you learn.
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