Study looks at reasons church members switch congregations
April 5, 2007
Researchers from LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention are looking at reasons why people switch churches. The latest study by LifeWay Research follows a study last year that focused on the formerly churched, examining some of the reasons adults stop going to church.Hear This Report
In the recent study, LifeWay Research asked 415 adults why they switched churches. According to the poll results, 28 percent of those surveyed said they switched churches because their former church was not helping them grow spiritually. Another 20 percent said they left because they did not feel involved in meaningful church work. And still others responding to the survey indicated that they switched churches because they did not feel connected at their old places of worship
Brad Waggoner, LifeWay's vice president of research, says the study also found that many people who switched churches felt more challenged by their new pastors. "How much we can read into that, I don't know," he says, "but it's possible, we can see, that they feel challenged to change the way they live."
What the researchers hope that means, Waggoner says, is that those who responded this way switched to another church because they found "there was substance to the preaching" at their new church and not just because they found another pastor who was "a better communicator."
The LifeWay Research official feels the study on why people switch churches points to the importance of solid church doctrine. Also, he says churches "shouldn't disguise or hide or minimize who [they are] as a church" but should present very openly such things as "these are our core values, this is our doctrinal foundation."
The survey by the research division of the Southern Baptist Convention suggests that people want to have a clear understanding of what their church believes and what it stands for, Waggoner points out. This study "ought to encourage leaders to be more clear in communicating that," he says.
Sixteen percent of those answering the LifeWay Research survey said they switched churches because there were too many changes taking place at their old church. Also, 15 percent said they switched churches because church members were judgmental of others.
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