Christ First Forum

'Lost' Christians Greatest Crisis in American Church, says Author
By Katherine T. Phan
Christian Post Reporter
Fri, May. 09 2008 11:00 AM ET

PORTLAND, Ore. - The inability of the church to discuss a topic that has become taboo among many Christians is one of the root causes why millions of Americans are leaving the church and never to return, says one author.

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There are "Christians who have experientially lost their faith" but have no one to turn to since church culture shuns the topic, Dave Samford said Thursday.

It's not that these Christians lost their salvation, but that they have lost their faith in the Bible, the church and Christian beliefs, said the author, who was addressing attendants at the annual convention of the Evangelical Press Association in Portland, Ore.

Over 31 million Americans are part of this exodus from the church, Samford said, citing a Barna Group study.

"Any business that is losing 31 million customers is going out of business," he told a room of Christian journalists and editors. "[It] is the greatest crisis among Christians today in the U.S., Canada and some parts of Europe…We must break the silence in our publications.”

In his upcoming book, If God Disappears: 9 Faith Wreckers and What to Do About Them, Samford details nine reasons he uncovered through listening to stories of those who exited the church on why Christians abandon faith.

Most of the time, Christians leave because of a "wounded" experience. They either deliberately walk away due to questions and doubts that go unanswered or they feel that God has walked away or "disappeared," observed Samford.

The author noted that he too "experientially" lost his faith a few years back when he encountered a series of unfortunate news, including his daughter being diagnosed with endometriosis – a condition that affects the womb.

"I felt God was pounding and pounding and pounding on me," he said.

Although Samford at the time was serving in multiple Christian positions – vice president of Publishing and Internet Ministries for the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association and a member of Evangelical Press Association – he said his faith was discouraged to a point where he couldn't even say a prayer before a meal.

But looking back at his situation, Samford said he realized that God used the crisis in his faith as a "hinge" to re-work his wrong theology and allowed his faith to be more vibrant than before.

He has since applied his experience to his ministry where he comes alongside those who have experientially lost their faith and walks beside them in their journey.

Speaking from experience, he believes Christians who return back to the faith can become a phenomenal force to revitalize churches.

"When you come back, you come back for good. You come back with a passion" and reach out to others who have left the church, he said.

In an effort to raise awareness on why many leave the Christian faith, Samford called on the Christian media to help put this understated issue before churches.

"Otherwise at EPA in three or four more years, it's going to be 37 million."

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20 ... Author.htm

The fault of people leaving the church is a personal decision. Walking away from God is a personal decision.
Most of us have difficult times and stop attending church for one reason or another in our lifetime. These decisions abr based on emotion, not on sound Biblical advice.
We are products of our personal decisions. We are not products of our environment.
The most debilitating thing we can do as a Christian is to stop naming our sins to God, and not praying. This is like shooting self in the foot, and it is hard to recover from.

I have a hard time relating to this article because I can't even imagine me losing faith. I live in the "boonies" so good churches are few and far between. I attend a very small Free Methodist Church that is sorely lacking. Good people, good pastor but just lacking in discernment and, what I call, Christian common sense. I think too many Christians today are very complacent. They are not in their Bibles EVERY DAY. They are not praying and seeking God's will. The reality that trials WILL come escapes them so when the trial does come, they don't have the faith in Christ that He will get them through it. . . . hence, a loss of faith because they never had it to begin with. Christians need to be strongly rooted in Scripture so that they will not become prey for discouragement and false teachers. We seem to have an overabundance of "feel good" preachers out there today. The Christian walk is not a stroll through the rose garden and when we are taught that God wants us happy, rich, healthy and trouble free and yet we are not, well, I guess one would blame God and walk away confused and discouraged. I think the problem today is too much fluffy gospel being preached and not enough selflessness. Not I, but Christ should be every Christian's motto.

Well said Carmela

Carmela wrote:I have a hard time relating to this article because I can't even imagine me losing faith. I live in the "boonies" so good churches are few and far between. I attend a very small Free Methodist Church that is sorely lacking. Good people, good pastor but just lacking in discernment and, what I call, Christian common sense. I think too many Christians today are very complacent. They are not in their Bibles EVERY DAY. They are not praying and seeking God's will. The reality that trials WILL come escapes them so when the trial does come, they don't have the faith in Christ that He will get them through it. . . . hence, a loss of faith because they never had it to begin with. Christians need to be strongly rooted in Scripture so that they will not become prey for discouragement and false teachers. We seem to have an overabundance of "feel good" preachers out there today. The Christian walk is not a stroll through the rose garden and when we are taught that God wants us happy, rich, healthy and trouble free and yet we are not, well, I guess one would blame God and walk away confused and discouraged. I think the problem today is too much fluffy gospel being preached and not enough selflessness. Not I, but Christ should be every Christian's motto.

Amen Sister! Nothing, And I mean nothing could ever make me turn from the faith, because without faith it is impossible to please Him. Through thy word we grown in faith! If we abide in His word then He will abide with us.

You said it so well Carmela!

If one is firmly rooted in the word and one is fully convinced with what they believe and they are truly in Love with God and with their Master and Lord, Jesus. He or she can never turn from the faith. If that was possible they probably never had it to begin with.

Jeani, I am sorry for what your church is experiencing with your pastor. I think many pastors are like your pastor today. That may all change when it stops being "easy" to be a Christian in this country. Seems like we are getting close to that, doesn't it?

Sounds like the deacons need a good swift kick from the congregation. I never could understand why people allow a pastor like this to run them off.
They should stay and work out the issues. The church voted for him, right? Then they can vote him out.