Churchlessness is really happening.  But there is a process that occurs before people actually leave the church. They become people on the fringes. I believe some pastors and leaders might need a wake up call and some just need a reminder nudge to the fact that many assimilation systems simply are running on automatic and since no one is intentional about paying attention, people are falling through the cracks. Many churches have no congregational care teams or community parishes that are made to walk with people in life.  The book I'm hoping to write is People on The Fringe. Knowing Who They Are and Doing What You Can Before They Leave Your Church for Good. Your story is essential for this  work.  The ultimate goal for the book is to help churches create a preventative and restorative model ministry that will be intentional about meeting the needs of people so they never have to be on the fringes and thus, never have to become part of the churchless statistic. In addition, pointing to what should be measured in the church versus what is the usual "success measurement"  nickels and noses or more specifically, attendance and offerings. What should Spiritual Formation and/or Discipleship pastors really be doing? How is connection, community and spiritual transformation assessed continually at the church? What can church plants do with limit funds for dedicated staff? Do new models of "church" need to be created that are funded just as well as the new church plants? What matters to God most?The idea is not to be negative because the truth is, I love the transformative power of the church when it is working right. But the church can look very different than what we have grown accustomed to. The goal here IS to tell the truth about a very real problem (in traditional churches) and get heads out of the sand so that the issues can be addressed before they continue to deteriorate.  We can do better. We should want to.  I thank you in advance for sharing your story. In Part 3 of my article series below, I share on what a person on the fringes looks like. If you see yourself in her story, please do share your story below. Names will always be changed and you will always be informed if it will be used for publication.

To get an idea of what I have already written on the subject, please read the articles below:

Church Dropouts, Part 1 | Four Reasons Why We're Losing Devoted Followers
Church Dropouts, Part 2 | Disrupting the Patterns
Church Dropouts, Part 3 | Fringe People

Other resources on the subject here.

As you share your story below please share specifics of your journey. For example,

• How long you've been a Christian?,
• Why do you go to church?
• How you've tried to connect in your church?
• Do you feel like you have a social network in church or real community?
• Have you ever been involved in your church? If yes, in what role?
• How many churches have you attended?
• What makes you feel like you are on the fringes of your church?
• Are you close to leaving the church?
• What would keep you from leaving?
• If you're a pastor/leader, you might have another perspective to share.