Some years ago in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, the members of one of the large Presbyterian churches decided to undertake a religious census among some 2000 homes in their district.  When the results were in, the pastor of the church found himself seated at his desk, confronted with a huge heap of reports, and he began to note the visitors’ findings and especially any comments made by the visitors at the bottom of the page.  One remark that occurred again and again was, “Used to be a Presbyterian; now belong nowhere.” Or, “The children go to Sunday School, but the parents aren’t interested.” And then his eyes fell on one unusual comment at the foot of one of the pages which startled him.  It read simply, “Presbyterian, but disconnected.”

“Disconnected.” That’s a fascinating wo…