Thousand have walked away from church and many of the the stories unfortunately are not pretty. Australia, what is going on? Healthy churches are usually led by healthy leaders. Is there a question of leadership at hand? Or is there more to the story, other elements? Are people attending churches with unrealistic expectations? Are both leaders & believers in question?
Tina Waldrom interviewed Natasha Rae a second time about the De Churched on The Win Win Evangelism Podcast. This follow up interview was quite revealing yet very balanced. Both sides of the story were discussed, there are challenges on both sides.
Natasha highlighted the importance of discovering the benefits in the bad situation. For all of those involved in a negative and challenging situation (church leaders and believers), a key is to realise the good. ‘What went right’ among the ‘what went wrong’. This can be achieved through an ‘appreciative enquiry ‘ , a free download is at the The Morph Clinic. Since the first podcast dropped, Natasha has been talking with many people and encouraging them to not throw the baby out with the bath water so to speak.
Acknowledging the pain is absolutely needed, opportunities to debrief are vital but remembering the things that went right is a positive step on the road to recovery.
Many people recall positive and enjoyable moments at church. Leaning in to those to reflect on the joy can be very effective, creating positive growth. Many of those that Natasha has spoken with express great feelings of connectedness and a sense of community. Exploring how connectedness and community can be found again is often a valuable journey.
All does not need to be lost.
The goal discussed by Natasha is not ‘getting people back to church’ but encouraging discipleship in an individuals life. Some do and will return to a church community as they once knew. Some will return to a different type of church community and some may never return to what they refer to as a church community. Most people conceded a desire to connect with believers again but were unsure how that could look. This in fact will form a third podcast discussion with Natasha in the coming months.
The place of Christian community among the De Churched will be explored further as Natasha shares insights and wisdom from the many groups she is currently working with. Watch out for that future episode.
Poor church leadership is definitely part of the equation when it comes to people feeling disappointed with church. There needs to be some honest and open conversations around this matter. At the same time, humanity is broken and without making excuses for both leaders and the way congregation members behave, there has to be an acknowledgement of brokenness as a starting point.
Listen to the full episode for a greater understanding of what was discussed.
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We are thankful for the input from Natasha on the topic of The De Churched. Natasha is a professional who among her own challenges, loves a laugh and continues to follow Christ in all He has for her future.
As you may know, Natasha loves to cook. This is a light hearted and interesting clip as she is asked to describe the De Churched community as a dessert. Here’s her answer.
Enjoy the journey as you continue to reach out,
Every blessing,
The EIA team.
