Maybe there are times or intervals at which churches are no
longer able to nourish some peoples' faith.
Why say something like that?
We know that people leave church for assorted reasons. Some
leave church A to go to church B. That's not the theme of this piece. I know
people who have stopped going to a church in a building, anywhere. They are
people who have been in church for years and for whom the traditions have been
important. Yes we can talk about solidarity and church being a family and small
groups being where the growth truly happens. The people I refer to must not be
faulted, because their reasons for departure are not chiefly because the
preaching or the music or the programs have changed or because of church
politics or petty squabbles as well as escalated rows. Those factors may have
influenced their choices, but primarily they have a deep longing for more of
God or more with God.
Do you think that some believers outgrow their need for church?
