People going inactive

[Sunday21]

Groan. Really stalwart people are going inactive in my ward.. And taking their families with them! My former bishop! One very nice mother of five and her former elders quarom president apparently because someone said something rude to her. What a waste!

[Guest]

What does lore vinous bishop mean?

[Lakumi]

How big is your ward?

[Sunday21]

What does lore vinous bishop mean?

My former bishop. Great man very sad. Has two very nice kids

[Sunday21]

How big is your ward?

About 250 members

[Lakumi]

About 250 members

how many are active, the one here I'd say 40? No more then 50-but this is a small town and Canada doesn't have a large LDS population outside Alberta.

[Palerider]

It's sad....but the Venom of a few can drive away many

[Lakumi]

It's sad....but the Venom of a few can drive away many

Venom how, I don't see how someone not believing is venomous, (granted that reason was not given but it's a reason people leave churches) I suppose telling people about it may be but personal unbelief contained only to you... I donno.

[Dravin]

 Venom, as in people being nasty, mean, bitter, or otherwise unpleasant.

[Lakumi]

Where on Earth did he say anything that connected venom with unbelief? 

nowhere, I was using it as an example

[Dravin]

nowhere, I was using it as an example

 

An example of something that isn't venomous?

[Palerider]

Venom how, I don't see how someone not believing is venomous, (granted that reason was not given but it's a reason people leave churches) I suppose telling people about it may be but personal unbelief contained only to you... I donno.

Eat some ice cream and chill.....I am talking about gossiping.....backbiting.....people offending people with their remarks

[Lakumi]

Eat some ice cream and chill.....I am talking about gossiping.....backbiting.....people offending people with their remarks

 

that makes sense

[Sunday21]

Only about 1/3 of our members are active. We try hard to maintain. We have many different activities. Many with food. We are warm and friendly to others. We shake hands and greet others. Our classes are friendly with lots of participation. We are really trying but still we lose great people who are from strong families and who have held important positions. It is heartbreaking.

[Quin]

Is there a trend?

We lose a huge chunk of people with the 9am slot, because we have so many night workers, for example. But they come back in a year, when they can. Ditto, we lose people very couple years as they take their boards and move (we're near a few grad schools).

Or is it simply bad luck & timing that the old core seems to be leaving en masse (that if they left 1 or 2 a year it wouldn't be noticed, but they happened to leave within a short period).

As far as Mom5, though, I doubt it's 1 person said something 1 time. It may have been the straw that broke the camels back, but it's almost need in a vacuum. In a vacuum only tends to happen when it's a terrible situation, and backed up by many people. Like someone goes off on someone else, and everyone else stands around and says/does nothing to stop them at the time, or to fix it later.

Q

[Lakumi]

Only about 1/3 of our members are active. We try hard to maintain. We have many different activities. Many with food. We are warm and friendly to others. We shake hands and greet others. Our classes are friendly with lots of participation. We are really trying but still we lose great people who are from strong families and who have held important positions. It is heartbreaking.

 

Yeah I liked the ward here, though it's very small (building small, the congregation seems a good size) though I normally find insane faults with most everyone I meet I ultimately felt they were a nice bunch.

 

Just thought I'd say a nice thing about the folk. Mormons are the reason I love egg salad sandwiches lol.

 

Do you know why they leave, do they say?

[Sunday21]

Yeah I liked the ward here, though it's very small (building small, the congregation seems a good size) though I normally find insane faults with most everyone I meet I ultimately felt they were a nice bunch.

 

Just thought I'd say a nice thing about the folk. Mormons are the reason I love egg salad sandwiches lol.

 

Do you know why they leave, do they say?

Apparently someone was rude to them. This is what I hear.

[Lakumi]

Apparently someone was rude to them. This is what I hear.

Huh, I know how I'd react (none to kindly) but leaving because someone was rude would be a defeat and I, in all my twisted ideas, would stay to spite them lol

(amongst other reasons, obviously, if I was a church goer)

[Guest]

Apparently someone was rude to them. This is what I hear.

I have a feeling this is more than that. In a sea of 50 nice welcoming people, one rude encounter can be forgiven by somebody who wants to be in church. In a sea of 5000 nice welcoming people, one rude encounter can be the excuse somebody who wants to leave the church is waiting for....

[Sunday21]

I have a feeling this is more than that. In a sea of 50 nice welcoming people, one rude encounter can be forgiven by somebody who wants to be in church. In a sea of 5000 nice welcoming people, one rude encounter can be the excuse somebody who wants to leave the church is waiting for....

Yes I think this is true. Sometimes I think people feel embarrassed that their life is not going well ..their spouse leaves them, they develop health problems...it is hard to go to church and feel that others are judging you.

[The Folk Prophet]

A former bishop does not go inactive because someone was rude to them. There is something else going on for sure.

[mordorbund]

Apparently someone was rude to them. This is what I hear.

 

Sounds like gossip to me. 

 

 

Word came to Nauvoo on one occasion of a poor man who had lost his house by fire. Nearly all the brethren said they were sorry for the man. The Prophet Joseph Smith put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a five-dollar gold piece and said, “I feel sorry for this brother to the amount of five dollars. How much do you feel sorry?”

 

I sure feel bad that we've lost so many good saints. I guess I better do my home teaching this weekend. Maybe I'll even invite my inactive neighbors for a barbecue on Monday, just so they know I still care.

[Guest]

Sounds like gossip to me. 

 

 

I sure feel bad that we've lost so many good saints. I guess I better do my home teaching this weekend. Maybe I'll even invite my inactive neighbors for a barbecue on Monday, just so they know I still care.

 

I'm a Ward Missionary currently and part of my calling is keeping my region's (I take a geographical section of our ward as my area) faith strengthened.  I'm not just focusing on inactives and investigators.  I'm focused on actives as well.  So, I hold a party at my house once a month for them to come over and just feel part of something if they need it.  We're having one tomorrow.  All of the active families in my region are coming as well as one inactive family.  This is gonna be a first.  Usually, only half of them are interested in coming. That's 8 families all in all.  It's a potluck so not much work from me except to clean the house and open the doors.  I am recycling lessons for these parties... tomorrow's lesson is a lesson I gave long time ago when I still taught in RS.

 

Sometimes, all that is needed is just an open door outside of church to feel that you can hang your hat somewhere and take a break from all that's bugging us.

[Lakumi]

Yes I think this is true. Sometimes I think people feel embarrassed that their life is not going well ..their spouse leaves them, they develop health problems...it is hard to go to church and feel that others are judging you.

for me I asked myself "what could I bring to this place" and all I could answer was "insanity"

(that and I can be extremely argumentative, uncooperative, I don't like mornings and become irrational about seemingly nothing) lol

[Sunday21]

A former bishop does not go inactive because someone was rude to them. There is something else going on for sure.

His wife left him for a nonmember. Perhaps he is embarrassed. Sometimes with the new emphasis in class on sharing your own experiences it can be tough. "Can anyone think of a time, when you really needed Heavenly Father's support?" I sometimes feel that I should stop sharing. We are a small ward with small classes- it's embarrassing to be honest about your trials. For most of the long time members others have seen us at our most vulnerable - post divorce, coping with illness, unemployment... It's hard to face people when your life is falling apart.