7 Bad Reasons to Leave Your Church

The new year is always a time for big decisions, big hopes and big disappointments. Churches are no exception. For the next few weeks, gym memberships and diets will soar. Job losses and divorces will rise. Some people will decide to go back to church, while others will decide to leave their church. Some will leave for another church. Others will leave the church for good. Those who choose to go back to church will have about the same success rate as diets and gym memberships. But those who decide to leave will probably succeed at it. Sadly, it's one of the few new year's resolutions that people almost always keep. If you’re considering leaving the church you attend, there are a few things you may want to consider before making the leap.

December 28, 2015

by Karl Vaters

The new year is always a time for big decisions, big hopes and big disappointments.

Churches are no exception.

If you’re considering leaving the church you attend, there are a few things you may want to consider before making the leap.

Author

Karl Vaters

Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of five books on church leadership, including his newest, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next. His other books include The Grasshopper Myth and Small Church Essentials.
Karl also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry, featuring in-depth interviews about topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context.
Karl has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience. He and his wife, Shelley have three children and two grandkids.

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