Churches are Dying?

Closing doors. Dwindling congregations. Empty nurseries. Cobwebbed collection plates.

SBC Voices had a recent article that was a response to the trend of churches closing their doors. And while sometimes church closures are unavoidable, there are times they are avoidable … churches, with open hearts and the help of the power of the Holy Spirit, can overcome obstacles.

The article, by Mark Terry, gives several reasons …

• Loss of Vision and Mission … they lose sight of why we are here, what God’s design for His church is really about.
• Failure to Reach New generations … I understand the principle of ‘birds of a feather’ can be about age or niche or style, but to remain in an enclosed bubble of demographic, especially by age, will eventually fail by attrition.
• Refusing to Change … businesses change, rebranding happens, but that doesn’t mean core values have to change. Unfortunately, many also refuse to change anything. Recently we updated our audio visual system – basically from analog to digital. Though great are the payoffs, the transition is difficult to learn nd adapt … and we lost a few volunteers. I get it, it isn’t easy. And if everyone refused to change – the new system would die by lack of use. Such is the church as a whole.
• Lack of Discipling and Leadership Development … a NFL Super Bowl champion will eventually become the bottom of the NFL if they refuse to train new players, develop a next generation of leaders (I mean, when was the last time the Cowboys were successful after Aikman?)
• Internal Conflict … Not just the normal difference of opinions, but divisiveness and bickering. Nothing really changes.
• Poor or No Pastoral Leadership … no vision, poor shepherding, lazy pastoring will lead to ruin.
• Mismatch with the Community … if you don’t represent the community where God has planted you, why would you think God wants you to hang round?
• Economic, Demographic, Financial Changes … These are often out of a church’s hands. But the way they respond to these changes impacts possible futures.
• Spiritual Stagnation … lack of Spiritual growth with lead to atrophy and death.

Revelation 1-3 deal with seven churches. None of those seven are around today.

This post is not to be grim or morbid or doomsayer … it is to be a wake up call.

And may we hear the trumpet sound …
May we wake up before it is our doors that are shut for the last time …
May we look to God for Life, Vitality, Future.