What can be done to stop the churning? Well, it may be tempting for a congregation to compromise their convictions to attract people. But, this is certainly not the answer.
A wise man once stated: “If you hamburger people into the church, you’ll have to hamburger them to stay.”
We need to attract people to the gospel message for it is God’s power to save (not programs and activities; cf. Rom. 1:16)!
True and undefiled religion is not about getting people in the door. It’s about molding people via the power of God’s word to be like Jesus (cf. I Cor. 11:1). It’s about helping one another live pure and benevolent lives (cf. James 1:27).
In order for that to happen, people have to learn the truth of God’s word and be fully committed to it! This will lead to maturity and stability on an individual and congregational level.
That is the only sure-fire way I know of to stop people from leaving the Lord’s church.
Stephen Bradd