Jamieson, A Churchless Faith, Chapter 7: Integrated Wayfinders

Making up 27% of his sample, Alan categorises the Integrated Wayfinders as such, because they have found some direction and integration to their faith. He observes:

• Although not feeling as though they fit into the category they once did within their evangelical, Pentecostal or charismatic tradition, there is a confidence to mix and relate to other Christians.
  

  The new networks into which they connect represent a wider diversity of belief, values and expectations than the church they left previously. Making reneed connections with other groups of faith provides for the individual context in which to contribute to others’ lives or the life of a community. The desire to contribute, support and give to others is a growing desire among the Integrated Wayfinders. Page 98

• The practice of faith has become drawn into to their lifestyle.
• Their faith is owned in such a way that it is autonomous. They are able to easily talk about what they believe and why they believe it.
• Their fiath practice is strong, reflecting their quiet confidence in what they believe.

Jamieson, A Churchless Faith, Chapter 6: Transitional Explorers

Picking up on similar themes within the other categories of church leavers Alan observes that the 18% who made up the Transitional Explorers had allowed their faith to develop beyond the anger and doubt of the first two groups.

• They had a sense of inner dependency for their faith. While outside sources may be significant, they are not the focus of the persons strength, or faith. Those come from within.
• They are able to reconstruct their faith as their landscape of belief changes.
  

  Where the Reflective Exiles were engaged in a process of deconstruction and subsequent examination of the components of their received faith, the transitional explorers have now examined a number of their faith components and found them useful for the new self-constructed faith that they are building. Page 83.

• There is a greater sense of ownership. Their faith is now their own, rather than a belief system received and adopted.
• The greater sense of ownership seemed to indicate that their faith was more secure, or stronger.An additional 6% of those interviewed had taken the transition in faith a little bit further by adopting an alternative faith or religion. These particular Transitional Explorers actively rejected the evangelical, Pentecostal and charismatic faith hey had once embraced.

Jamieson, A Churchless Faith, Chapter 5: Reflective Exiles

The Reflective Exiles made up 50% of Alan’s interviewees and differed from the Disillusioned followers in many ways.

• There was no sense of dependency on the wider evangelical, Pentecostal and charismatic community. Active revulsion was more common.
• They were happy to deconstruct their faith and examine it at its core.
• That examination lead to an ongoing engagement in reflective practice concerning their faith as they reject, modify and question different aspects of their faith.
  

  In the process of deconstructing and reflecting on their faith, many of the reflective exiles develop a new trust for their emotions and intuitions, which they use as part of the judgement they bring to each segment of the faith they are re-evaluating. Page 71.

• A sense of uncertainty characterises their faith practice. Unlike the disillusioned Followers they are unlikely to maintain a bold faith practice.

Jamieson, A Churchless Faith, Chapter 4: Disillusioned Followers

In the first of four chapters that characterise those people who have stopped attending church, Alan talks about the role of disillusionment among 18% of his interviewees. He observes:

• The process of disillusionment starts with a specific grumble which develops into feelings of hurt and anger.
  

  In fact for many particularly the “angry” leavers, part of their claim is that they, unlike the church they left, have remained true to the evangelical/Pentecostal/charismatic faith. Page 51.

• Although it was the pain that motivated their exit from the life of the church, they maintained their faith by being dependent on the wider evangelical, Pentecostal and charismatic church. Dependence of Radio and TV preaching were common.
• Their exit from the church did not mean that they re-evaluated their faith, just their relationship with the organisation.
  

  Disillusioned Followers remain strongly committed to their faith. Their faith is described as bold because they remain sure, confident and bold in their explanation of both their faith and their decision to leave the church. Page 56.

• The final observation is that those who feel hurt are more open to returning to regular church attendance that those who felt angry.

Jamieson, A Churchless Faith, Chapter 3: The leaving process

Alan draws on the work of Helen Ebaugh (Leaving the Convent 1984) to suggest a four stage process:

1. First doubts.
2. Seeking and weighing alternatives.
3. Negotiating turning points.
4. Developing a new sence of identity.

Page 33.

Having interviewed a number of church leaders about why they thought that people left their churches he suggests a high level of naivety among them.

The disparity between the views of church leaders who were either puzzled, tentative or blaming the individuals, and the comments of church leavers point to a lack of communication between the two. Page 43

Alan notes that of the church leaders interviewed only those who were councillors or lecturers observed that peoples faith may have changed or developed. Those who were Pastors or Ministers did not give this aspect any thought.

Jamieson, A Churchless Faith, Chapter 2: EPC Churches

Alan more throughly introduces the churches his interviewees are leaving. He observes that:

• Evangelical Churches cover a wide range of theological convictions but central to them all is a commitment to the bible.
• Often the links between Evangelicals and Fundamentalists are close, the main difference being in the engagement with culture.
• “Theologically and experientially the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements are very similar” (Page 24).
• There is a tenancy to idolise large churches and imitate their emphases.

Jamieson, A Churchless Faith, Chapter 1: Face to face with those who leave

Alan starts out by introducing us to Stuart and Michelle. Of course he has changed their identity and their location, but none the less we are assured that the details of what they say and their circumstances are accurate. It is clear that Alan is building the rhetoric and drawing the reader into the meta-narrative of church leavers.

Stuart and Michelle are committed people of faith who left their church because of a growing dissatisfaction within them. Involved and committed to their church they did not leave because of a breakdown in relationships, or some petty squabble. They are part of what you might call a justified exodus (my expression not Alan’s).

Alan set’s his own context as a minister within the Stream of Evangelical, Pentecostal and Charismatic Curches (referred to as EPC churches). Having set his own context and introduced his research methods, Alan begins to talk about the churches within the evangelical, Pentecostal and charismatic (EPC) stream. He observes:

• These churches are statistically the ones that are growing.
• The signs of growth obscure the “wide open back door” (Page 11).
• Very little is known about the reasons that people leave.

Concentrating on the statistics of those interviewed he observes:

• They were all involved and committed to their church.
• The majority had dependant children.
• They continued in their Christian faith even though they didn’t attend a church.

He introduces the three factors that will be related to throughout the book:

The argument presented, as already indicated, will concentrate on three distinct but interrelated factors which in combination provide and understanding of leavers from EPC churches. Three factors we need to consider are:

1. The changing societal culture that contemporary western dwellers find themselves in; specifically the time of transition between the erosion of influence of modernity and the increasing influence of postmodernity.
2. The structure, beliefs and faith practices of EPC churches.
3. The faith development of individuals located within EPC churches and significantly influenced by societal changes brought with the transition to an increasingly postmodernist society.

Jamieson, A Churchless Faith, My thoughts about the book

I was once told “People are going to leave churches, the best thing you can do is let them.” I can see where the person who gave me the advice was coming from but it has always sat uneasily with me. I have found reading Alan’s book a helpful dialogue with my own experiences and the experiences of people I have spoken to who have left churches. Anyone who reads the book will see the passion and heart that Alan has for the church and that the particular “evangelical, Pentecostal and charismatic” stream that he is analysing. They will hear the cry of the disgruntled and disaffected believer who’s faith is developing through challenge and perception.

I found that, as helpful as Alan’s analysis is, my own experience of church leavers is far removed from that of his interviewee’s, and I began to wonder how he collected his sample. As a church leader I have tried to maintain some kind of contact with people who have left, or been on the verge of leaving the churches that I have been involved in. I haven’t always managed it. However of the people that I have spoken to I think I have met two or three people who have left church over issues of faith development (I can also think of some who have not left, but fit well within some of Alan’s categories). Most of those I know have left over issues of being powerless to control the direction of the church. The majority have become disgruntled with church because it is not how it used to/supposed to/could be. They are usually people with very defined models of what a church should consist of, not those who are reimagining the boundaries.

The issue of faith development is an important one and one to which the church should pay some attention. Alan comments early on that most of the church leaders he interviewed did not even consider faith development to be a factor for those people who leave churches. I’m sure I would not have listed it if I had not read this book. For me, Alan’s book has raised the possibility that I am missing something when I dialogue with my own church leavers. He has challenged my pastoral approach and helped me to see the difference between disgruntled foot stampers, and those who are leaving to move into deeper waters in their Christian faith.

Visit to the movies… another video blog.

I went to see the Da Vinci Code last night. I didn’t have much time to post, and I’d quite like to. However I had to go on a fairly long drive, so I waffled about it to my phone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVEuk8221DE

Online Video’s

I have watched some funny (and some naff) videos online recently.

The best ones are:

Alien Song
http://www.navone.org/Media/Movies/AlienSong_mp4.mov
(Which is far better than the naff one with Jesus in!)

Mario Brothers Level One.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D4ymdpkCXI

Lassie Remix.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNWXWTb2fpw
(Thanks Stella, the kids loved it.)

I also watched this one which is a kind of meditation on Jesus. I often wish there were more pictures that made Jesus look like a real person.
http://33whitehall.video.blip.tv/uploadedFiles/ ReasontoBelieve-KingOfGloryVideo697.mov

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