Listen to the Dones
by Josh Packard Why would someone devote his whole life to church and then one day decide to walk out the door and not come back? This was the central…
Tag: church refugees
Why He Stays Away: Confessions of a Former “Regular” Church Attender
By Rick Chromey I enjoy conversations about church attendance. I like to chat with people about why they go, what they prefer, and what they would change. The answers rarely…
Creating a Ministry With Vision
By Thom Schultz A friend stopped by and mentioned he had left his church. I learned he wasn’t alone. It seems a large chunk of the congregation has fled, along…
4 Strategies to Re-engage People in Ministry
Is it getting harder to enlist people for ministry at your church? Are volunteers stepping down from their engagement and connection? With the busy holiday season approaching and the on-going…
How Christian Is Your Community?
by Rick Edwards Longtime Christians are leaving the church and not planning to return. Sociologist Josh Packard dubbed such people the “Dones.” As Packard reports in the book Church Refugees…
Want to Kill an Idea? Form a Committee
by Craig Cable We’ve all experienced the negative effects of bureaucratic red tape. It doesn’t matter whether it’s been in your church life, your professional life or your personal life;…
3 Ways to Create a Culture of Connectivity in Small Groups
by Bob D’Ambrosio Last week after my small-group meeting, Dale and Jodi stuck around to tell me how much they appreciate being in the group. “We were looking for community…
What the “Pet Rock” Can Teach Your Church
by Jon Vaughan You might remember this little phenomenon back in the 70’s called “The Pet Rock.” More than 1.5 million people bought a rock as a pet. You might…
Is a “Club Culture” Killing Your Church?
by Craig Cable Let’s face it. We like hanging out with people who remind us of ourselves. We gravitate toward people who look like us, think as we do, and…
Monologue or Dialogue?
by Rick Edwards Is it possible to be preached out of church? According to social science research, it is. Sociologists Josh Packard and Ashleigh Hope in their book, Church Refugees:…
