Why Are Women Leaving the Church?

Sandra Crawford Williamson — at the link you can read her fuller post, which I have cut down to these four major points:

Does your church minister to all women? 

We need to figure out quickly how to recognize, encourage, and spiritually lead these [professional] women. Barna and others say as many as 27% of professional Christian women are starting to choose to unplug from church all together.

Why is that?

Evidence says four reasons are given as to why she chooses to stay home from church.

1. The examples from the pulpit don’t pertain to me because they are often about men in business and women in the home.

Psychology tells us that if a human doesn’t see themselves in a picture, they will put it down and be uninterested. The professional women in the pew need to see and hear themselves painted into the spiritual message picture on Sunday morning, and beyond, in a way that pertains to her life.

2. I am underutilized at church so I don’t feel my spiritual gifts are recognized or respected.

Even though these women have giftedness outside of traditional home skills, they are often only asked to make casseroles and work in the church nursery. These women may not be asked to serve on church committees, even though the topics may be her Monday – Friday areas of expertise. Add this example to the facts that she is already very busy and that only 20% of humans respond to a need when asked to volunteer, and you get a major untapped resource inside your church that may leave because she is not called upon to use her gifts.

3. I feel isolated at church because there is no bucket into which I fit.

These women look around and see all of the buckets of people that are being served, such as “the young marrieds,” “the singles,” “the youth,” “the married with children,” “empty-nesters,” “divorced,” “retired,” etc., and do not find a label that fully encompasses all they are.

She is a woman AND a business leader. Her daily challenges are unique. Yet, there is no unique group that addresses all of the life parts with which she is faced.

4. The existing programs for women don’t align with my work schedule or my needs.

We often hear professional women in the church say they would rather go to the men’s 6:30 a.m. group events because of scheduling and content, but can you imagine if they went strolling into one?

At lots of churches, the women’s events are scheduled during the workday or at other times that a busy working woman who is putting in 40+ hours at work plus running a home plus often mothering children and getting them to school, arts and athletics, etc. just can’t make it.