A Churchless Faith

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A vital book, especially for leaders of evangelical churches - Rated
This is possibly the most important book to be published in the past five years. It provides a comprehensive analysis of why people are leaving Evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic churches in such numbers - and the picture which emerges is unlike anything you will normally hear being talked about in one of our churches.

It is well researched, academic, compassionate, scriptural and challenging. If church leaders take on board what is written here, I am convinced that we will see a significant and continued rise in church growth, and many fewer damaged lives into the bargain.

I am not totally convinced by all the analysis and theology, but recognise the truth of much of what he reports - in my own experience, and in that of many others I have spoken with over the years. As a starting point, I know of no better.

Growing not dying - encouragement for leavers and pastors - Rated
I found this book extremely thought-provoking and encouraging. In particular, it introduced me to the work of James Fowler in modelling spiritual growth as stages of faith. The book challenges the prevailing view about church leavers and I felt has clear messages for both the individual feeling church is no longer for them, and for churches facing the departure of well-known members.

From the perspective of someone rethinking their religious faith, the most helpful aspect of the book was the level-voiced and non-judgemental survey work (drawn from Jamieson's doctoral thesis) showing why people stop attending churches. Jamieson develops a model showing why people leave and the summary, surprising to some, is that it's a matter of growth of faith rather than death of faith that makes the majority of leavers go it alone. The key message to the individual? "You're not the first to face this, and you're not on your own".

Like the related book 'The Post-Evangelical', Jamieson discusses the fact that faith systems today exist in the context of a culture completing the transition to a post-modern outlook. His challenge to church leaders is to see leavers not as the fallen but as pioneers. His research finds in the majority of cases individuals with insight into expressing faith in post-modern terms rather than in the modernist terms of the established churches. The key message to the church? "Culture is changing, and your leavers are your congregations's pioneers".

Overall this is a book that should be on every minister's shelf and which could offer relief to long-term church members and leaders suffering 'burn out'.

Growing not dying - encouragment for leavers & leaders - Rated
I found this book extremely thought-provoking and encouraging. In particular, it introduced me to the work of James Fowler in modelling spiritual growth as stages of faith. The book challenges the prevailing view about church leavers and I felt has clear messages for both the individual feeling church is no longer for them and for churches facing the departure of well-known members.

From the perspective of someone rethinking their religious faith, the most helpful aspect of the book was the level-voiced and non-judgemental survey work (drawn from Jamieson's doctoral thesis) showing why people stop attending churches. Jamieson develops a model showing why people leave and the summary, surprising to some, is that it's a matter of growth of faith rather than death of faith that makes the majority of leavers go it alone. The key message to the individual? "You're not the first to face this, and you're not on your own".

Like the related book 'The Post-Evangelical', Jamieson discusses the fact that faith systems today exist in the context of a culture completing the transition to a post-modern outlook. His challenge to church leaders is to see leavers not as the fallen but as pioneers. His research finds in the majority of cases individuals with insight into expressing faith in post-modern terms rather than in the modernist terms of the established churches. The key message to the church? "Culture is changing, and your leavers are your congregations's pioneers".

If Churchless Faith doesn't grab you, what will? - Rated
If you believe in God, even kind of and have been burned or burned out in the church, this book is relative. It's a well prepared report on the church at large in our Post-Modern times, offering insight as to why growing numbers of leaders, (paid or lay) are leaving the church. I too am pursuing a churchless faith and found this book encouraging and thought provoking.

A big "Thank You" to the author for writing this and validating in some form my feelings that I can get on with God without going to church. I will be interested in the sequel ... a follow up study of where this target group has landed. Keep writing.

Very helpful, but a little late. - Rated
Having read the previous review I initially approached this book with a degree of scepticism. I was partially put off by the title which I still find not entirely helpful. It is an area that quite sensitive as having somebody leave a church suggests that something is deficient in that church. That surely is a position that few churches are likely to be comfortable admitting to.

However, I quickly found that it was rewarding reading. Having personally gone through the process that he describes and leaving a charismatic church, it was helpful to find that there were others in the same position. Even more helpful were the sections dealing with the process of leaving and Fowlers stages of faith. In particular, it was quite scary reading how closely my experiences were reflected in the chapter on the process that leavers go through in gradually becoming more detached over time and eventually leaving altogether. Unfortunately by its nature, it is more likely to appeal to somebody who has gone through this process and left a church than somebody who may do so in the future. The chapter on the leaving process is helpful here as it explains that somebody in the process of leaving is aware mainly of a sense of unease and it is improbable that they know that they are likely to end up leaving.

The one section I was disappointed with was the chapter dealing with what churches have to say to leavers. One of his comments I found to be self-contradictory and other comments were not always either helpful or accurate. There were things that leavers need to hear which were not included. I felt that this section was almost added as an afterthought and needed more work doing on it before being published.

I started with some questions over how representative his study was. Some of these still remain. Unlike the people he included I have moved to another evangelical church. Many others move to more traditional or even more liberal churches. This doesn’t seem to be reflected in his book and highlights perhaps a slight lack of clarity over the main issue and hence the helpfulness of the title. Issues of evangelical spirituality that cause people to look elsewhere in continuing their spiritual journey have been recognised by other authors – McGrath and Tomlinson included. In the Postevanglical, Tomlinson describes how some find that they want to retain aspects of an evangelical faith while also being open to questioning. This clearly is the same process that Jamieson describes. By focusing on those that leave without joining another church Jamieson unfortunately does not reflect this wider context.

Having made those criticisms, this is still a book that I will return to. There are weaknesses but these are relatively minor in comparison to the help it gives to both churches experiencing people leave and to leavers themselves. It is helpful though to be clear about what the book is about. It is not about the pressures of church leadership. It is about the pressures faced by those that find that they are at a different stage of their faith to those around them and the problems this raises.