Why Are People Leaving?, by john o'keefe

Oh my. Great article on church life. The reality is: people are leaving the church. I think they want to stay but overall they are on their way out. Sometimes they find a new place. Sometimes they go golfing and have brunch with friends, and many times, that is really way more interesting, thought provoking, spiritual and life giving than going to church. If any of you have seen Dave Olsen's in depth analysis on church attendance, it ought to scare our pants off. Remember that scene in the movie the Titanic: there was a musical quartet on the deck of the sinking ship making beautiful music as chaos swirled around them. At one point they were going to stop and part ways, but it was obvious they had no place to go. So they continued to play. Sometimes I see that as a metaphor for the church. I wish I wasn't so damn skeptical. Yet at the same time I so strongly believe in church planting and think and pray about it all the time. I suppose it is true: Jesus doesn't have a Plan B. The church is his deal.