What do we call people who leave our church?

I don't like it when people leave our church. 

It grieves me. Even when they leave for legitimate reasons. Like when they move to Illinois. (Yes, that really happened. I know) I miss them. Admittedly, some more than others)

Then they officially become "former members." That means they used to be members of our church.

People I considered to one degree or another like family. More or less depending on how long they stayed, how connected they were, how much skin they had in the game, etc.

I don't like to call them former members. That feels like it minimizes what they contributed to our church family and the overall mission of the global Church of which they (in most cases) are still an active part of.

So I am trying on calling them "alumni" instead. 

I'm an alumn of Clemson University. I left after four glorious years. Ok, it was 4-1/2. But who's counting?

I like being part of the Clemson University alumni. I feel like I'm still a part of what's happening there. Because I am! (I go to football games, I read their emails, I send them money) Ok, I don't really send them money. Well, I do pay for our daughter's tuition. That counts, right?

Anyway, I want our former members, er, alumni to feel like they were and are a special part of what God is doing in and through Grace Christian Fellowship (our church). Because GCF is like it is (in part) because they invested finances, creativity, time and energy, and relational and spiritual energy in and through us. And that means a whole lot in my book.

And something tells me that matters a whole lot to God as well.

Here's something we've done to validate their time with us.

We've created a Facebook Group where our GCF Alumni can stay connected to members (past, present and future) here. They can join here.