New Research: Churchgoers Stick Around for Theology, Not Music or Preachers

Personally, I’ve seen more people leave churches for non-doctrinal reasons than for doctrinal reasons… by a large margin (and this is over multiple decades).

The link goes to an Ed Stetzer article about preferences. I read that article three times becoming increasingly convinced that I was either losing the ability to read or to comprehend what I was reading or both because I was unable to find the pull quote above. It wasn’t until I looked at the side bar that I saw this article:

(Edit - the article I tried to link to below gives an error message. Methinks the problem is with CT and not the original poster here at SI)

https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2018/july/churchgoers-stick…

Like Aaron, I’m skeptical, too. For one thing, it’s a poll asking people what would cause them to consider leaving their church. Of course, any professing Christian who has been paying attention at any level is going to choose “Church changed its doctrine” when presented with that choice. I wonder what would be revealed by a poll taken of pastors asking the reasons why people have left their church.

What people say they will do and what they actually do are often two different things.

To me, our society is too full of consumerism for this to be true.

….it has something to do with conflating cultural practices with evidence of faith. If you read either side of the music wars, that is really what is at stake; it’s sincerely held beliefs about what constitutes appropriate worship and the like. Another way of viewing it is that whatever we might think the real issue is—even consumerism—the one leaving feels it’s theologically significant enough to break fellowship and relationships.

Didn’t think I could put a more dismal cast on this than Steve did, but I think I succeeded. :^)

Has a pastor (any pastor, anywhere, at any time) ever said something such as this about any of their church members leaving (besides moving away) to go to another local church?: “Yes, the Peterson’s left to attend another church, and they had legitimate concerns & reasons for doing do.”

If a Christian believes in full faith before God that a church’s music violates the call to holiness, then I can respect their decision to leave even if I disagree with them.

However, in my experience as a Christian, every single instance of someone leaving my church over music has been squarely in the realm of personal preference. As in, “The church’s music is too conservative and I like contemporary music.” Also, and sadly yet telling, in every single instance that I can recall, the individuals leaving disregarded actual theology - baptism, soteriological positions, teachings on sexuality, etc. - and joined with churches that taught doctrines that the leaving individuals expressed disagreement with. But the music was to their liking.

I’m tired of having conversations with friends who are leaving a theologically solid church because the music is too conservative for their liking.

You’re correct, but if you were to ask me why people have left my church, I would honestly say that some have left over doctrinal issues. To be sure, it’s because the individual’s doctrine has changed and not the church’s. But there have been a few that have left over doctrinal issues. However, the majority of people who leave (besides moving away) do so over things that fall under preference, like music, or not having the right kind of programs, or because they don’t like the acoustics in the sanctuary, etc.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2018/july/churchgoers-stick-around-for-theology-not-music-or-preacher.html

On that note, I’m looking forward to proposing additions to my church’s statement of faith in the next few weeks. Among other problems, we have no article on the doctrine of Christ (just a generic one on God, stolen from the 1833 NHCF), but we have three articles on different aspects of dispensational, premillennial eschatology! You can tell a lot about a church’s past priorities by what they decide to spell out in great detail in a doctrinal statement …

[John E.]

You’re correct, but if you were to ask me why people have left my church, I would honestly say that some have left over doctrinal issues. To be sure, it’s because the individual’s doctrine has changed and not the church’s. But there have been a few that have left over doctrinal issues. However, the majority of people who leave (besides moving away) do so over things that fall under preference, like music, or not having the right kind of programs, or because they don’t like the acoustics in the sanctuary, etc.

My church occasionally gets new attendees who have left other local churches. They usually seem to come from two other local churches in particular. I would argue that, coming from either church, they are leaving for a church (mine) that is far more doctrinally sound.

One of the churches happens to be KJVO, and is avidly associated with the FBC Hammond/Sword of the Lord wing of fundamentalism. (I can’t fault these people at all for walking away from that theological morass.) In fact, in talking to some of these people (like I did just yesterday morning), I have heard them say things such as “I’m free!” (when talking about their former churches).

And yet, without a doubt, those same people are being castigated and shunned by the pastors, staff, and the remaining members of the churches they have left behind. Without a doubt, those churches are impugning the motives of those who have left.

[TylerR]

On that note, I’m looking forward to proposing additions to my church’s statement of faith in the next few weeks. Among other problems, we have no article on the doctrine of Christ (just a generic one on God, stolen from the 1833 NHCF), but we have three articles on different aspects of dispensational, premillennial eschatology!

[Larry Nelson]

Has a pastor (any pastor, anywhere, at any time) ever said something such as this about any of their church members leaving (besides moving away) to go to another local church?: “Yes, the Peterson’s left to attend another church, and they had legitimate concerns & reasons for doing do.”

Here’s an example, actually. I would agree that it’s not terribly common.

I once attended a church in Waseca that could be characterized in about the same way as Larry characterizes the KJVO church from whence many members at his church are refugees, and then I attended (once I figured out it was KJVO/etc..) the church where most former members of the KJVO church went. The interesting thing is that when I would talk to them about it—and I never had to bring it up, really—the overall comment was that they tried the new church once, and said “I’m not going back.” Never really heard a theological explanation except for one family who described as feeling as if they’d gone from works to grace.

Perhaps people sometimes know something is very wrong, but they (perhaps because the teaching at their former church is so wrong?) just don’t know how to put a finger on it?

I was a member of a Bible believing Baptist church for 30 years. Why did I leave? Lets see, the pastor retired and his son took over. The preaching changed and then the doctrine started to change (things mysteriously disappeared from the doctrinal statement), and then the music started to change, and then the moral standard started to change so after much prayer and agonizing of soul we sent a letter to the deacon board explaining why we were leaving and they never responded. Why did we leave? I guess all of the above.