Here is a term that has been around for a long, long time. I have had a series of thoughts running thru my mind for several months now and I think I need to write on it. Here are a few:

Backslider. A name or a title that we hang on someone that has left the church and went back out into the world. It is a safe term for us to use as it allows us to dodge the bullet of "ownership". Could it be, is it possible, have you ever considered that maybe it was US, The Church, that failed to meet their needs?

A recent survey that just rocked my soul is that for every Adventist that is in the pew on Sabbath morning, there are 3 out in the world that are not attending church. There is a ministry!

I have been a preacher's kid all my life. It was not until I had a Saving Encounter with Jesus in 1990 did I find salvation. Before that, I loved to hunt deer. Did you know that a deer in our area is born, lives and dies within one square mile. The only reason it leaves is if it runs out of food or water or if the hunter'
s pressure is beyond it's comfort zone.

Here is another way to put it. A rancher told me the other day that the best fence he knows of is a lush green pasture.

Let's take a lesson from the animals. Our churches need to be lush green pastures. Hospitals for sinners and not museums for saints. If you have not figured it out by now, I have a burden for those that have left our fellowship. For whatever reason. Many well meaning christians turn out to be just, well, MEAN. If you know of someone that has left our fellowship, the best ice breaker you can use is "was it me"? Go after them! If we made it as hard to leave the church as we make it to get in, we might just slow the tide out of our back doors.

We need to nail the back door shut with LOVE!
mi dos pesos...........Barry

Excellent thoughts, Barry. I share your burden for people who leave the church because they feel unwelcomed or unloved. It's a terrible thing. As a pastor I am jealous for the children of God. We are brothers and sisters. But at the same time I realize I cannot bear the burden of blame all by myself. It takes a church to make a home. So, I make it a point when preparing people for church membership (which is different than preparing people for baptism) to warn them about the pit falls and hazards of living in fellowship with lukewarm church members. So far it has been working nicely for people who were grounded in Jesus before they joined the church. By the way, I'm sure you would agree that leaving the church is not always the same thing as leaving Jesus. Sometimes taking a break from the civil war waging in most churches is refreshing.

Ooooooo, I like that!

Here's a thought: You can't backslide if you never slid forward!