Scot McKnight quotes Michelle van Loon’s article about the reasons people leave or become less active in their churches. She attributes some of the leaving to the fact that people spiritually “outgrow” what the church is offering, like maybe an ego-driven pastor or ministries in stasis. Either way, I like her categories for churches as either spiritual launchpads or spiritual destinations.
… I find myself wondering today if it is harder to outgrow a church that understands itself to be a resource and a launch pad than it is to leave a church that functions as a spiritual destination. Few churches use this language of themselves, but that doesn’t change the reality that some congregations are precisely that – organizational terminal points for learning, worship and service.