Figure out why people leave
by LeAnne Zook, Washington, D.C.
“Remembering Our Baptism” by John D. Roth (Sept. 16) is a fine article that makes some excellent points. But I suspect that if you polled those 2,000 Denver ex-Mennonites and all the others I know in Washington and other urban areas, the lack of continuing baptismal education is not anywhere on their top 10 list of why they don’t attend church or consider themselves Mennonite anymore. From my own experience, out of a group of about a dozen close friends from college—every single one a cradle Mennonite—less than half currently attend a Mennonite church or call ourselves practicing Mennonites. And out of those five or so that do identify as Mennonite, at least two spent some time not being Mennonite.
Why? Some don’t believe anymore; some never believed and now don’t have to fake it; some are gay and aren’t feeling the love from the Mennonite church; some are miles from the lone Mennonite church in their city; some would rather spend Sunday mornings with their families; some don’t want to deal with the baggage (there can be some baggage). And few of us reflect the current status quo of the Mennonite church member demographics and Mennonite Church USA member beliefs as outlined in Conrad Kanagy’s study. I want Mennonite Church USA to do studies, surveys and polls on these people. I want The Mennonite to print their stories. I want to read occasional columns titled “Why I’m not Mennonite Anymore” or “Why I’m Still Mennonite But It’s Touch and Go Sometimes” or “Why I’d Love to Be Mennonite Again if Only.”
Mennonite Church USA can talk all it wants about being missional, but if we can’t even seriously figure out why people leave, what’s the point of all that fine talk? I don’t think we are even curious. And that’s not 2,000 Denver ex-Mennonites’ loss.
Associated Issue: Remembering our baptism - Sept. 16, 2008
Associated Article: Remembering our baptism
Current Stories
Articles
- Do you have pleonexia?
- A contrarian view of anticonsumption rhetoric
- Enough is enough
- Not politics as usual
- Discovery learning
News stories, digests and Meno Acontecer
- NEWS UPDATE: Geisers offer more details about rescue
- Parks first woman officially ordained in Lancaster Mennonite Conference
- Web exclusive: Quilts, pie and a passion for service
- Mennonite businessman released in Afghanistan
- CLC will try 'rotating white male' model
- Schrag announces plans for retirement
- Congregations address ‘divisive issue’
- Three Mennonite books make the news
- MMA strong and stable despite economy
- Christian/Muslim dialogue in Asheville
- Former Bethel president Voth dies at 84
- EMU holds ‘forgiveness’ symposium
- Menno House celebrates 50 years
- Taiwan group celebrates 60 years of medicine
- Reflexiones sobre el ministerio de Menno Simons. 8ª parte
- ¿Buscando material de estudio anabautista?
Columns
- How good fiction reflects God’s perfect love
- Be not (politically) conformed
- A dialogue toward peace with Iran