Interestingly most of the articles at some point raise the issue of "no one noticed" when someone left. I think it's more to true to say that someone probably noticed, but no one acted. Clearly the dynamics are different as churches grow. It has to be more difficult to be aware of changing patterns of attendance in a large church compared to a smaller church. This is why Rick Warren, amongst others, points to the vital role small groups fulfil in this area.
Perhaps the first step in a strategy is to determine that no one will leave without being noticed. Or maybe it should be that no one is absent without being noticed.
Even as I write that I realise that we live in a very different culture. A culture where, on the one hand, we run the risk of being accused of not caring and on the other we're accused of interfering. We do seem to want to be noticed and loved whilst maintaining total privacy!
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