Top Five Reasons People Leave the Church (Returned Members):
- I thought highly of it, but I had lost touch.
- I thought highly of it, but I felt I could not live up to its standards.
- It had become irrelevant to my life.
- I was angry at the way it treated me.
- I felt that it was cold and inflexible.
Ten significant life events in the year prior to no longer attending church:
- Serious illness
- Married/divorced
- Relocated
- Death in the family
- Marital conflict
- Graduation
- Job change
- Poverty
- Illness in family
- Lost job
Top reasons given to stop attending church:
- No big issue; I just drifted away.
- Lack of compassion for those hurting
- Moral failure on my part
- I did not fit in.
- Too much focus on minor issues
- Conflict in the congregation
- Moral failures of members
- Moral failures of leaders
- Pressure from family or friends
- Race, ethnic, or tribal issues
