In this study of church growth and membership retention, Smith argues that if a church is to survive, it must concentrate on keeping its present members as well as attracting new ones. Interviewing people from 600 churches of various sizes and reviewing the causes of membership decline and retention in those churches, Smith provides evidence that membership dropout is a major problem. Smith addresses the assimilation of new members, congregational vitality and church growth, and conflict management and its impact on member retention. He asserts that churches must meet members’ needs in order to attract and keep them, and shows how this can be done.
