It is a fact: People are constantly leaving their church to go join another, or else just stop going, period. The only expertise I can have in this matter is that which I've seen by experience, and that which I may have attained concerning human nature, as set forth in the Bible. The reasons are many, but I'll focus only on the most common. Some will opt for a different church when the pastor or the church does not meet with their liking. Perhaps the pastor is too old, young, inexperienced, or boring. They may see him as incompetent or less than intelligent. Their problem could also be with the way the church is made up. The church may be too small for them, or else they don't like the music. Maybe the church has little to offer, in regards to the entire family. There's little that can be done in cases such as these. It is sad to say but a good number of people are in churches primarily because of it's pastor, music, or prestige. Some people choose churches like one would a favorite restaurant. Have you seen the many people who parade themselves publicly wearing a T-shirt with the name of a famous worldwide, or local restaurant? Its the In thing! Some will travel far and wide just to be able to say that they once ate at that famous place. There are some who feel the same way about their church. To hear them, their church and pastor are the best and biggest in all the world. Anyone who really believes that there can be such a thing as the best church or pastor in the world, can't be too spiritually bright. Do you think that God is impressed or cares at all about foolish things such as these?

Do you think God favors one church or pastor over another, or loves one more than another? The only thing God is interested in, is the love and faithfulness of each individual believer, whether he is a minister, layman, teacher, or ordinary member. As I pointed out before, there's not much we can do about things such as these. Nevertheless, there is something we can do to prevent losing those who leave for other reasons. But before I go any further, let me say that nobody has a valid reason to stray from God. Yes, I realize that many have left a certain church because of something the pastor, or some other member did or failed to do. But that's not God's fault. Here is where you and I come in. As a pastor, I constantly ask the Lord to help me be loving, caring, and impartial. When people visit, the pastor should do everything that he can to see that they are made to feel welcome and at home.Have we made our visitors feel important; that we care about them? In the next page I wrote an article about scolding. Well, I've known of many who left a certain church because the pastor or some other member scolded and embarrassed them. Of course, there are other things we should take into consideration as well. Is the church property maintained well? Is enough money coming in from the members to help in this matter? Are we being good witnesses for Christ outside of these walls? Many years ago, one visitor quickly left when he saw one of our members present. He said he wanted no part of a church who had scoundrels such as these for members. In this instance, this visitor was way off because he didn't know the new man. Nevertheless, the point is that the world is constantly looking at us and sizing us up. We need to be more like Christ. We'll never be able to keep others from stumbling, but we can ask the Lord to help us so they won't stumble due to our unchristian behavior.