Decline & Renewal, 12: Andy Wall Guest Column

Editor's note: Here’s another in our series of guest columns on church decline. During the rest of March, you'll read thoughtful words from church leaders like Tim Spivey, Stan Granberg, Aaron Metcalf, Rick Gibson and more. Articles in April will focus on renewal.

Our seventh guest column is from Andy Wall, a native of Southern California. Andy preaches for the Conejo Valley Church of Christ, just 20 minutes from the Pepperdine University campus. Having grown up as a missionary kid in Greece, Andy has the eye, not just of a skilled minister but also of a missionary—a powerful combination in helping understand our role in the unfolding mission of God.

The View from Andy Wall

Decline and Renewal: A Study of What Former Members Are Saying

My journey of wrestling with the decline within Churches of Christ began during the early 90s, when circumstances caused me to reflect on two questions: why were so few of my former youth group members still in the Churches of Christ (or any church)? And why had a sizable contingent of thoughtful and earnest adult believers departed the church I was currently serving to join local community and mega-churches?

My interest in this topic was further piqued by a 1997 article in the Christian Chronicle by Flavil Yeakley, indicating that between 1980 and 1997, membership in California Churches of Christ declined by 6 percent. During this same period, the state grew by 33 percent. Why, I wondered, were Churches of Christ declining while California was exploding?

In response to these questions, I did a doctoral research project in 2001 to figure out why former members of the Churches of Christ in Southern California had left their home churches. I mailed a survey questionnaire to 567 former members, of whom 299 responded. In this post, I will present a summary and analysis of the reasons that respondents gave for disaffiliating from Churches of Christ.

What Former Members Said 

Why have some residents of Southern California left the Churches of Christ? The top five reasons selected from a list of thirty-three possible reasons are found below.

Top Reasons Why Former Members Left Churches of Christ

Rank Reasons Given (percentage agreeing and strongly agreeing)

1 Drawn to a church with a more heartfelt/expressive style of worship (77%)

2 Worship service was uninspiring (73%)

3 Found another church I liked better (71%)

4 Church was too legalistic (68%)

5 Drawn to a church that was more effective in evangelism/outreach (67%)

There were three major clusters of reasons which respondents gave for leaving: cognitive, affective, and social. 

Cognitive or intellectual disaffection occurs when the central tenets of people’s faith are called into question. Former members rejected two key viewpoints. First, respondents repudiated what they characterized as the legalistic view that “doing church right is the way to salvation.” Second, respondents disavowed the sectarian mindset that “Churches of Christ are the only church going to heaven.” Respondents described narrow-mindedness, self-righteousness, judgmentalism, hair-splitting church leaders who made tradition law, the lack of freedom, and the demand for conformity. They wrote of enforced conformity of thought, Pharisaism, intolerance, “cookie-cutter Christianity,” exclusivity, crushing guilt, and bondage to fear.

Related to the off-putting legalism were frequent complaints about the sectarian attitudes and exclusivism which prevailed in some congregations. Comments such as “Think they’re the only true church,” “Unloving toward non-Church of Christ people,” were typical. Many had realized that the Churches of Christ were not the only church which sought to follow the Bible. 

Affective or emotional disaffection results from seeing inconsistencies in attitudes or behaviors in church. One oft-repeated concern had to do with a hunger for personal and communal spiritual transformation and the apparent lack of it within congregations. These respondents hungered for changed spiritual lives, for a heart-felt faith, for greater impact on their communities, for a faith that makes a discernible difference in their everyday affairs and in the world. They hungered for greater freedom to express their growing love for Christ, a freedom unfettered by legalistic fears. Some described the absence of a transforming relationship with Christ which enlivened and reshaped their daily choices and priorities. The absence of a transforming relationship with God expressed itself in the absence of prayerful dependence, and in a general sense of going through the motions of religion rather than experiencing the fire of faith.

Respondents offered over seventy hand-written comments on the subject of lifeless corporate worship. Many described dispiriting worship assemblies that were uninspiring, rigid, and boring. Others wrote about their hunger for heart-felt worship in which self-expression was encouraged and where spiritual feeding took place. 

The lack of relevant evangelism to the community was also an oft mentioned frustration. A number of respondents interpreted the lack of effective evangelistic outreach as the result of a lack of concern for a lost world and of too much concern for ingrown traditions. Underlying this frustration is an implicit critique of the lack of vision and of the narrowing of the church’s mission among many congregations.

Social disaffection results from negative or unsatisfying relational experiences at church, such as conflict with leaders or the lack of close church friends. It may also stem from the establishment of strong friendships in outside churches.

The issue of leadership competence and integrity was a key factor in the social disaffection of former members. Topping the list were the level of doctrinal uniformity enforced and how leaders wielded or hoarded power. Some respondents expressed grave concerns about the integrity of their former leaders, noting that some had lied, been deceitful, and acted in power-hungry, abusive, ungodly, or hypocritical ways. Some viewed their leaders as lacking in spirituality. Poor leadership was a frequently cited concern, particularly in the lack of vision and clear direction. Some felt the leadership mishandled ministry opportunities, particularly in the dismissing of ministers, in being supportive during times of personal crisis, or in confronting sin in the church. 

Nearly three dozen parents of children and teenagers expressed their concerns about how the church did not meet their family’s needs and consequently that they looked for a healthier youth program. If their children were not developing good friendships or having positive spiritual experiences at church, many parents began to reconsider their church options.

Most switchers described a heart-felt longing for a personal, authentic faith and a vibrant relationship with Christ. Many expressed gratitude for their upbringing in the Churches of Christ, noting the strong Biblical foundation they received as well as the loving relationships which they still cherished.

In conclusion, I want to affirm that I love my church heritage, even though I may have a few lover’s quarrels with her. I share this information not to bash and berate the Churches of Christ but hopefully to inform and alert our leaders so that we might create some constructive responses to the reality of people leaving. In April, I’ll share some strategies for closing the back door and improving member retention within our fellowship.

                
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Bio:
Born and raised in Southern California and on the mission field in Athens, Greece, Andy Wall is a second-generation minister. He is a graduate of Pepperdine University (BS in Math/Computer Science), Abilene Christian University (MDiv), and Fuller Theological Seminary (DMin). He is in his 13th year as preaching minister of the Conejo Valley Church of Christ in Thousand Oaks, CA. He just celebrated his 25th anniversary with his wife Carrie (Giboney) Wall and has three daughters, Jenna (19), Jessica (17), and Michaela (15).