00:00 - Intro 02:36 - Meet Jim Davis and Michael Graham 05:40 - Jim explains how the book started with the largest study of its kind 07:44 - Michael discusses the practical insights and applications from 'The Great Dechurching' 13:53 - Why does the church have a P.R. problem? 16:04 - WHO is actually leaving the church? Any particular group? 22:11 - The four main profiles of people leaving the church 29:15 - How the cultural forces being felt now began back in the 1990s 31:52 - Jim on how the church can serve those who have been abused through 'pastoral malpractice' 33:38 - Michael and Jim on why we should have hope 37:37 - Steve's closing thoughts 39:32 - Next week's guest is...
This is the guy who introduced me to Jesus and did my wedding ceremony in his office at the Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church on THIS VERY DAY (Aug 20th)… 35 years ago. I remember, I was totally calm and waiting to say our vows when Steve approached me, leaned into my ear and whispered “Nervous?” “No!” I responded truthfully. He came back with “Liar.” At that exact moment, I started shaking, breathing hard and sweating as every single FIBER in my body SCREAMED at me to run for my life!!! But Jesus stepped in and everything was okay. I just wanted to say, “Thanks, Steve, for that moment of terror.” That was how I knew my commitment was real. Jim K.
The Gospel of grace & truth is missing in too many church’s. Religious people cannot house the Holy Spirit ….. no freedom in religion. I believe that’s the antidote to the church’s problems.
Sadly this episode had a massive blind spot regarding today's institutional church. Many have left the 'church' not because of loss of faith but to save their faith. Many have gone on a journey into more organic forms of church gathering... Wayne Jacobsen has written a few very good books on this topic such as Beyond Sundays, Finding Church, and So You Don't Want to go to Church Anymore?... This is from the back of Beyond Sundays - "People are abandoning our religious institutions in droves. In the last few decades sixty-five million Americans who once attended a local church, no longer do. About half of those no longer self-identify as Christian, but over thirty-one million still do and are seeking a more relevant faith beyond Sunday-morning Christianity. What do we make of this exodus and how will it affect the future of the church? Does it portend the end of Western Christianity? Wayne Jacobsen doesn’t think so. Having met with thousands of people around the world who are done with religious institutions, he is more hopeful than ever that this phenomenon might help revitalize the church Jesus is building. Whether you attend a local church or you’re done with it, how we respond will have repercussions for generations to come. This is our opportunity to embrace God’s work in a wider way than any single institution can contain." For more info see www.lifestream.org/
The audiobook is not for blind people. It is heavily reliant on external source material. In the same way, this book diesb't come clean about its agenda of getting dechurched people back, as attendees, until halfway through. It's also a study in biased statistics, avoiding those people who now reject Christianity in evert important respect. This is not a book about what has been lost beyond recovery.
I wonder if the allergic reaction to pastors is warranted. I occasionally have Mormon missionaries come to my door. They refer to themselves with the title "elder" (e.g. Elder Smith, Elder Jones). If you've studied organization dynamics, you can recognize this as a power play to get you to think the missionaries stand above you in authority. I see churches employ the same tactic with the term "pastor" (Pastor Steve, Pastor Jeff). It's also a power play to get people to think pastors stand over and above them. Maybe we need to drop this title and have pastors get back down with the rest of us.
To many easily offended people . People will always be sinners and say and do sinful things. This is an opportunity to practice forgiveness and patience. As a Christian we should be the most fearless people on the planet . If people leave a church because of any other reason but the Gospel is not being preached, don't cater to them especially if the claim to be adults. Pray for them of course by chasing them down is not our job. We point them to Jesus and the holy Spirit convicts them , softening their hearts. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few . As Paul writes in Romans, this generation is without excuse. Outside of a few remote tribes in jungles or desert areas most people of the world have at least heard of Jesus. Yes we have lots of work to do my fellow saints but one of the first things we need to teach people is before they commit to following Jesus they need to count the cost. The likely loss of relationships and an incredible amount of hate They hated Jesus they will hate us. In other words one needs to be a little tougher, when people offend us, cuz I'm 💯% certain they will. Be patient with each other , allow for people's faults and above all pray for the holy spirit to grant you wisdom ✝️🙏🔥❤️🤟💪🏼💪🏼🎁🎁
00:00 - Intro
02:36 - Meet Jim Davis and Michael Graham
05:40 - Jim explains how the book started with the largest study of its kind
07:44 - Michael discusses the practical insights and applications from 'The Great Dechurching'
13:53 - Why does the church have a P.R. problem?
16:04 - WHO is actually leaving the church? Any particular group?
22:11 - The four main profiles of people leaving the church
29:15 - How the cultural forces being felt now began back in the 1990s
31:52 - Jim on how the church can serve those who have been abused through 'pastoral malpractice'
33:38 - Michael and Jim on why we should have hope
37:37 - Steve's closing thoughts
39:32 - Next week's guest is...
This is the guy who introduced me to Jesus and did my wedding ceremony in his office at the Key Biscayne Presbyterian Church on THIS VERY DAY (Aug 20th)… 35 years ago. I remember, I was totally calm and waiting to say our vows when Steve approached me, leaned into my ear and whispered “Nervous?”
“No!” I responded truthfully.
He came back with “Liar.”
At that exact moment, I started shaking, breathing hard and sweating as every single FIBER in my body SCREAMED at me to run for my life!!! But Jesus stepped in and everything was okay. I just wanted to say, “Thanks, Steve, for that moment of terror.” That was how I knew my commitment was real.
Jim K.
The Gospel of grace & truth is missing in too many church’s. Religious people cannot house the Holy Spirit ….. no freedom in religion. I believe that’s the antidote to the church’s problems.
Ha! I don't have a place in the pew anymore! I just look for an open spot and warn those next to me that I bite, but I'm not contagious.
Sadly this episode had a massive blind spot regarding today's institutional church. Many have left the 'church' not because of loss of faith but to save their faith. Many have gone on a journey into more organic forms of church gathering... Wayne Jacobsen has written a few very good books on this topic such as Beyond Sundays, Finding Church, and So You Don't Want to go to Church Anymore?... This is from the back of Beyond Sundays - "People are abandoning our religious institutions in droves. In the last few decades sixty-five million Americans who once attended a local church, no longer do. About half of those no longer self-identify as Christian, but over thirty-one million still do and are seeking a more relevant faith beyond Sunday-morning Christianity.
What do we make of this exodus and how will it affect the future of the church? Does it portend the end of Western Christianity? Wayne Jacobsen doesn’t think so. Having met with thousands of people around the world who are done with religious institutions, he is more hopeful than ever that this phenomenon might help revitalize the church Jesus is building.
Whether you attend a local church or you’re done with it, how we respond will have repercussions for generations to come. This is our opportunity to embrace God’s work in a wider way than any single institution can contain."
For more info see www.lifestream.org/
I liked this interview, the intro music not so much. What happening @18:11 ?😮
The audiobook is not for blind people. It is heavily reliant on external source material. In the same way, this book diesb't come clean about its agenda of getting dechurched people back, as attendees, until halfway through. It's also a study in biased statistics, avoiding those people who now reject Christianity in evert important respect. This is not a book about what has been lost beyond recovery.
I wonder if the allergic reaction to pastors is warranted. I occasionally have Mormon missionaries come to my door. They refer to themselves with the title "elder" (e.g. Elder Smith, Elder Jones). If you've studied organization dynamics, you can recognize this as a power play to get you to think the missionaries stand above you in authority. I see churches employ the same tactic with the term "pastor" (Pastor Steve, Pastor Jeff). It's also a power play to get people to think pastors stand over and above them. Maybe we need to drop this title and have pastors get back down with the rest of us.
To many easily offended people . People will always be sinners and say and do sinful things. This is an opportunity to practice forgiveness and patience. As a Christian we should be the most fearless people on the planet . If people leave a church because of any other reason but the Gospel is not being preached, don't cater to them especially if the claim to be adults. Pray for them of course by chasing them down is not our job. We point them to Jesus and the holy Spirit convicts them , softening their hearts. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few . As Paul writes in Romans, this generation is without excuse. Outside of a few remote tribes in jungles or desert areas most people of the world have at least heard of Jesus. Yes we have lots of work to do my fellow saints but one of the first things we need to teach people is before they commit to following Jesus they need to count the cost. The likely loss of relationships and an incredible amount of hate
They hated Jesus they will hate us. In other words one needs to be a little tougher, when people offend us, cuz I'm 💯% certain they will. Be patient with each other , allow for people's faults and above all pray for the holy spirit to grant you wisdom ✝️🙏🔥❤️🤟💪🏼💪🏼🎁🎁