The following is the latest guest blog from my friends at MAG Bookkeeping. If your church has bookkeeping needs in 2015, there is no organization I recommend more than this organization led by Bryan Miles, his wife Shannon and Randy Ongie. Click HERE or on the image to the left to get more information.
Recently, they wrote a great post entitled “Why Your Founding Members Are Leaving Your Church.” I wanted to pass their thoughts along to you.
One of our team members was talking a few weeks ago with the pastor of a rapidly-growing church. This pastor expressed some confusion and hurt about the recent departure from his congregation of some of the first families who joined the church when it was just starting out. These were the people who’d been part of the ministry since the beginning, this pastor said – why would they leave?
As our team member shared with this pastor, that was exactly why they left – because they’d been there since the beginning. People’s view of their church – any church – is frequently the church as it was when they first joined. If they joined your church when it was first planted, they didn’t really join your church – they joined what was essentially a small group. As your church has grown, if they haven’t bought into the vision that you’ve cast for where your church is going, then they’re likely pining for the church as it used to be.
When you encounter those people, you as the church leader have two choices. You can continue to communicate your vision to these people, and pray that you’ve communicated your vision effectively and God will work in their hearts to inspire them to get on board with that vision. Or you can release these people to find another church community that fits what they’re looking for, what your church was in its early days. They’ll find the small community they want, and you’ll be free to engage with the people in your congregation who want to go with you to where you believe God is calling your church.
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