Tag: Dones
Have You Ever Wanted to Leave Church? You’re Not the Only One!
Posted on November 17, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Have you ever considered walking away from church?
That question has become a central topic in many churches, conferences, and publications. The rise of the “dones” is a phenomenon that is both interesting to watch and terrifying. For many pastors and church leaders it is a nightmare that they are facing and trying to figure out. For church culture commentators it has become a routine topic of discussion.
So, who are the dones?
The dones are the most committed, involved, faithful members of a congregation. They are leaders in ministry; they are teachers; they are the biblically educated; they are the givers. And they are walking away from church. They don’t relocate to another church, and they aren’t retreating to house churches (not all of them). They are simply walking away from the organized, institutional church…forever.
Some will be quick to judge and say that these are backslidden people that need to “get right with God,” and get back in church. Others are little more judgmental and claim that these are people that “may not be saved at all.” Name-calling and judgment won’t stop the dones from walking away so it might be a better use of our time to figure out why they are leaving.
The Southern Baptist Convention is Church-Planting Itself Out of Existence. Is That Good?
Posted on June 16, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Church plants are on the rise, so are the “nones” and the “dones.” The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is getting smaller. Not only do I think these trends will continue, I think they are a good thing for Christians, the Gospel, and America.
I’ll confess that I am highly interested in church cultural trends. I’m not just a theology geek, but a geek in general that is fascinated by trends that I can see happening around me. When I read a statistic that matches up with the reality in my community I am curious. The trend of shrinking denominationalism coupled with more churches being planted is both fascinating and obvious. These trends, in conjunction with the rise of the “dones” is also interesting and obvious.
Christianity Today recently reported several statistics that are worth noting relating to the Southern Baptist Convention:
Have You Ever Heard of “The Dones”? You Probably Know Someone in This Group
Posted on June 2, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
I’ve been having this conversation more with people who are curious about this particular group. It’s becoming noticeable that the “dones” are rapidly growing into an easily recognizable group. Whereas at one time a few people knew someone who was once solidly committed to their faith but has since walked away. Now, many people such a person. In fact, you might talk to that person often and not even know it.
The “dones” exist because the church is broken. Now, we’ve all known the church is broken for a long time. And no one of any kind of theological depth would expect it to be anything but broken. The church is filled with sinful humans that, despite the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, continue to sin. But the church is also broken because it has morphed into something it was never meant to be.
The Dones: The Demographic the Church Ignored, Forgot, then Lost
Posted on February 24, 2015 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Scores of pastors in “hip” churches with trendy gimmicks and attractions can’t figure out why people seem to come, linger for a while, then leave. Yes, many of these churches are large – some have hundreds or even thousands of people each week – but they are an ever-revolving role of people that never seem to stick. Why?
Other pastors are having the same problem. The difference is that they oversee small, traditional churches that have “faithfully” held the ranks against any kind of change in their churches. Though younger generations disappeared, they comforted themselves with the knowledge that they were being “faithful” to their calling.
Two different churches with the same problem: people – both young and old – are leaving and not coming back.
This is not a traditional vs. modern church problem. This is a church problem; a Christian culture problem that transcends shallow differences like music and décor. Anyone that can’t see the reality that many people are simply walking away from the church needs to pull their head from the sand. The first thing we need to do is understand this group, then we can figure out why they are leaving.