Where Did They Go?

We have been at our church for 16 years.  During this 16 years, many folks have come and gone.  Sometimes you expect it and sometimes it comes as a shock.  Where did they go?

We have some very good friends that were missionaries.  When we first went to our church, he would call and ask how the church was going.....and we would really be down and say, we thought it was doing well, but two families just up and left.  His reply would be, "Amen, praise the Lord!!!  We have been praying that God would get rid of the dead wood at Whites Creek."

WOW....what a way to look at it.  I am not saying that all of them are dead wood, but they may be dead wood at our church.  By this I mean, for some reason this is not the church for them so they are not able to serve God the way they should.....so essentially, they are dead wood.  It has always amazed me when folks leave..........I always remember what this missionary said and most of the time, our church begins to "grow" or "re-new" when I am expecting it to hit a slump.  It is as if God DID prune the dead wood.

Recently I discovered that one of our couples had joinned another church.  At first it bothered me a bit..........then I thought about it and realized that the couple had probably only attended our church 2-3 times a year in the past several years........so, maybe they will become more regular at their new church.  They have only been members by name at our church.

I guess we should not always question, "Where did they go?"......just accept it as God's will regardless of the reason....and keep looking to the future.