Not pointing fingers here ....

It probably isn't anything the pastor and staff is or is not doing! Its probably the Sheep looking for a different pasture. Some sheep "fan out" and visit the "swingin'" church in the county---come back to the "Catch Pen"(their church) and report something like

"Wow!! They've really got it going on over at Big Cajun Baptist down the road! Thats the going thing over there! The music is good---the preaching is ok--and best of all--they don't argue at business meetin's--well, at least thats what I HEARD!! Me and my wife are gonna check it out---you guys comin'???"

At first--the disappearance is by stealth---and then the disappearance is in broad daylight!!

Bro. David

 

Here in Ghana the church has experienced something similar. Droves of people left the IFB circles and went to the drumming and dancing charismatics. They were duped by their pray for me, get rich and healed mentality/gospel. Now the tide is beginning to turn. Thinking people realize they were deceived by these false teachers and are beginning to come back. God's Word will not come back void. He will have the preeminence. Besides, it is our job to faithful, not to have mega churches.

 

Addition often comes through subtraction! Focus on reaching not on keeping.

 

We don't have any Cajun churches in this area, but I know what you mean.

 

There are a million reasons why this is happenning. My cousin attends a large church in the central OC. Their senior pastor has been at the helm since the 50's, and he is retiring. His son, also an ordainied minister, has taken the reins. Because the elder pastor is in his 80's (or there abouts), most of the congregation is older in years as well. They've had a difficult time holding on to people in their 20's and 30's, and even the new pastor is about 50, so they don't expect that demographic to change much.

However, the new pastor's son is currently in seminary, and many of the younger folks like him (they can relate to him), and if he served at the same church, it would likely increase attendance of a younger crowd. He has not decided where to serve (I belive in their denomination, the denom has to approve callings, but I'm not sure), so he may very well be minister at a church somewhere else.

 

That age group doesn't tend to "fan out". I suspect there is a reason.

Why not find one and ask?

The 35 year olds may be seeking churches that offer more to their children.

The seniors may be looking for something more traditional.

It could be a Sunday School teacher bothering them. We lost an entire group of our middle-aged people because of a bad Sunday School teacher. It took the church quite awhile to find out why people left.

It might be just one annoying member that gets around a lot. I almost quit a church I loved because of one woman in one class who drove me totally insane and latched onto me at every church function. I found out later that several friends who had dropped out of church functions named avoiding her as their reason. (I ended up changing classes and basically ducking her when I see her coming.)

Another church in town lost droves of people because of inaccurate church gossip that made a claim that the pastor said something he never said. (He said that in his personal opinion children do better when mothers do not work, and stay home with them, but he understands that isn't always possible. It was twisted into, "He said every woman that works is going to hell, and that working women don't belong in God's house." )

 

You could always ask someone who has left to find out why they left. It could be any number a hundred reasons, and each could be different.