Top Five Reasons People Leave the Church (Returned Members):

• I thought highly of it, but I had lost touch.
• I thought highly of it, but I felt I could not live up to its standards.
• It had become irrelevant to my life.
• I was angry at the way it treated me.
• I felt that it was cold and inflexible.

Ten significant life events in the year prior to no longer attending church:

• Serious illness
• Married/divorced
• Relocated
• Death in the family
• Marital conflict
• Graduation
• Job change
• Poverty
• Illness in family
• Lost job

Top reasons given to stop attending church:

• No big issue; I just drifted away.
• Lack of compassion for those hurting
• Moral failure on my part
• I did not fit in.
• Too much focus on minor issues
• Conflict in the congregation
• Moral failures of members
• Moral failures of leaders
• Pressure from family or friends
• Race, ethnic, or tribal issues