I wonder if anyone ever misses the missing?
Lyle Schaller

The perception church leaders have of inactive members is linked to the actions they intend to take about inactivity.
Mark S. Jones

Simply talking to inactive members is difficult. Asking them why they dropped out is like opening the spigot on a water tower full of grievances both real and imagined. John Savage leads us into this troubled area and says we've got our work cut out for us in drawing these people back into active fellowship. But he doesn't leave us there. He shows us how to understand the missing and how to meet their needs.

Not surprisingly, this chapter was one of the highest-rated articles in Leadership's history. Savage, president of L.E.A.D. Consultants in Reynoldsburg, Ohio, studied the problem for more than ten years and interviewed inactive members from four churches. Here he explains what he learned about why people choose to become inactive and what can be done to bring them back to full participation.

I was going ...