When I talk to pastors and people from other churches I will often ask them how things are going at church. I'll ask them what they feel is going well and what seems not to be going very well. I'm always interested by their comments. It tells me a lot about how they define success. It also tells me a lot about their priorities.
If you're in ministry and part of the Southern Baptist denomination you are familiar with the yearly church surveys the association sends out. They ask questions such as; what is your weekly average attendance for worship, how many people are in Sunday School, how many baptisms did you have last year, how much money did you contribute to cooperative giving, etc. These surveys haven't changed for decades! And worse yet they communicate to churches that these are the things that are most important if you want to have a healthy church.
We desperately need to change what we define as being success at church. One way to do this is to change the assessments administered by the associations to better reflect what we are hoping to create. If churches were asked things such as, "how many church members actively involve God in their daily life?" it would definitely challenge the leadership to focus on this topic. The problem is most churches can't answer that question because they don't know their congregations well enough to know how to answer it!
In addition, there is confusion as to what is success. Many people believe church success is how big your building is or how many programs you have running. For others it's how many people attend your church or the offering levels. None of this says anything about the spiritual wellness of the church. It only addresses the "wellness" of the organization. Our poor assessments and areas of focus have finally caught up to us and we are currently feeling the affects of them. We have big empty churches with spiritually dead people confused at why even though they attend church every Sunday or are involved in several programs at the church, they don't feel like their lives are meaningful or full. Something is still missing.
What would I encourage churches to do?
1. Redefine success to be how many times you had a real conversation with someone and shared a little bit of yourself with them.
2. Measure success on the number of times you consulted God on something before making a decision, no matter how small the decision and followed His direction.
3. Define success based on the amount of time spent each week devoted to one on one time with God.
4. Define success to be the personal efforts parents make to instruct their children in God's word, such as family devotionals or worship time.
5. Define success as being each time we choose to not engage in sinful acts.
6. And finally, define success as investing in another to develop the same godly characteristics.
I'm sure there are others... this is a list in progress! Any one want to add something to the list?
6.26.2007
Is there something we haven't tried?
So, I've been continuing to reflect on my thoughts about if dying churches can be saved. While I believe in death and rebirth and that it is a very realistic reality on the horizon for many churches, the never-give-up rescuer in me says, "Isn't there something else that could be tried? Maybe we just haven't thought of the right thing yet because it's not in God's timing. Be patient and keep looking and trying."
Last Sunday I had the opportunity to worship at a new church start. They are small in number but seem to have a huge heart for the Lord. There is a level of authenticity and godly character exhibited in their words and seen in their eyes as you speak with people one on one that is hard to miss and quite refreshing. There was such a sweet spirit of humility and focus on God's desires and praises by the worship leader and pastor that it over shadowed any glitches in the projection of words, the rising temperature in the room due to lack of air conditioning or the toddler that was wandering around the room, uninterested in sitting with his mother. I sat there thinking to myself, "This is a glimpse at the pure and healthy DNA God desires churches to have. Why can't more churches have this DNA? Why can't existing churches have their DNA re-written to look like this?"
Then it suddenly dawned on me. How do most pastors go about trying to revive a dying church? Some churches focus on developing new programs and ministries. Almost all of these churches will in some way try and have a special emphasis on evangelism, trying new methods, encouraging people to be more active in their efforts to share Christ. I think of all the sales pitch emails I have received for programs that will increase your attendance, raise your offerings and "save" your church from death. Implement this new program or have your church go through this new study and you will surely succeed.
And that is when it hit me. These churches are treating the symptom and not the illness! They may for a brief time be successful at decreasing symptoms but the illness is still present which means that eventually they will get sick again. They have not been cured. The illness has just been momentarily masked.
Then I thought about that good DNA I had the opportunity to see up close and I realized that maybe the way to save a dying church is to focus all efforts on creating intimacy, authenticity and godly character in the congregation. The natural outgrowth of this change will be a vibrancy that is hard for a visitor to resist and an internal change that will naturally express itself through evangelistic outreach. They will want to share their faith with others because of the vibrancy of their relationship with the Lord. They won't be able to help themselves. It will just overflow from their being. In addition, they will have something to share with others. Right now, most church member's spiritual wellness is so non-existent that it is not surprising that they would not be sharing with their friends their faith. It is not impacting their life in a way that they want or desire others to gain what they have.
Basically we have dying churches because we have spiritually dead people sitting in them. Revive the people spiritually and you can revive the dying church. But revival isn't about emotion or spurring the people into action to do more. It is about strengthening their connection with the Lord, developing intimacy that is the incubator for authenticity and the development of godly character. It is about growing and nurturing an internal motivation to include God in your daily life.
If you are a pastor of a dying church, I would encourage you to stop trying new programs and encouraging your congregation to become more evangelistic. Instead focus all of your efforts on creating spiritually healthy members through the development of intimacy. Embrace your small numbers and look at them as blessings. It's always easier to create intimacy when your numbers are small. But being small in number won't be enough to create that intimacy you are looking for. (That has been evident for quite some time as you have dwindled in numbers.) It takes the brave encouragement to be transparent with others, highly valuing authenticity and making a focused effort to allow God to change you.
Last Sunday I had the opportunity to worship at a new church start. They are small in number but seem to have a huge heart for the Lord. There is a level of authenticity and godly character exhibited in their words and seen in their eyes as you speak with people one on one that is hard to miss and quite refreshing. There was such a sweet spirit of humility and focus on God's desires and praises by the worship leader and pastor that it over shadowed any glitches in the projection of words, the rising temperature in the room due to lack of air conditioning or the toddler that was wandering around the room, uninterested in sitting with his mother. I sat there thinking to myself, "This is a glimpse at the pure and healthy DNA God desires churches to have. Why can't more churches have this DNA? Why can't existing churches have their DNA re-written to look like this?"
Then it suddenly dawned on me. How do most pastors go about trying to revive a dying church? Some churches focus on developing new programs and ministries. Almost all of these churches will in some way try and have a special emphasis on evangelism, trying new methods, encouraging people to be more active in their efforts to share Christ. I think of all the sales pitch emails I have received for programs that will increase your attendance, raise your offerings and "save" your church from death. Implement this new program or have your church go through this new study and you will surely succeed.
And that is when it hit me. These churches are treating the symptom and not the illness! They may for a brief time be successful at decreasing symptoms but the illness is still present which means that eventually they will get sick again. They have not been cured. The illness has just been momentarily masked.
Then I thought about that good DNA I had the opportunity to see up close and I realized that maybe the way to save a dying church is to focus all efforts on creating intimacy, authenticity and godly character in the congregation. The natural outgrowth of this change will be a vibrancy that is hard for a visitor to resist and an internal change that will naturally express itself through evangelistic outreach. They will want to share their faith with others because of the vibrancy of their relationship with the Lord. They won't be able to help themselves. It will just overflow from their being. In addition, they will have something to share with others. Right now, most church member's spiritual wellness is so non-existent that it is not surprising that they would not be sharing with their friends their faith. It is not impacting their life in a way that they want or desire others to gain what they have.
Basically we have dying churches because we have spiritually dead people sitting in them. Revive the people spiritually and you can revive the dying church. But revival isn't about emotion or spurring the people into action to do more. It is about strengthening their connection with the Lord, developing intimacy that is the incubator for authenticity and the development of godly character. It is about growing and nurturing an internal motivation to include God in your daily life.
If you are a pastor of a dying church, I would encourage you to stop trying new programs and encouraging your congregation to become more evangelistic. Instead focus all of your efforts on creating spiritually healthy members through the development of intimacy. Embrace your small numbers and look at them as blessings. It's always easier to create intimacy when your numbers are small. But being small in number won't be enough to create that intimacy you are looking for. (That has been evident for quite some time as you have dwindled in numbers.) It takes the brave encouragement to be transparent with others, highly valuing authenticity and making a focused effort to allow God to change you.
6.24.2007
Can dying churches be saved?
Thinking about dying churches further, I have been contemplating if a dying church can be saved. Is it possible? Can a church near death and on life support be revived? Is it even possible to rewrite unhealthy DNA? And even more importantly, is this something God desires or does he intend to let these churches completely die off the vine? Does God know that bad DNA can't be re-written and therefore He is in the process of birthing a new type of church with a healthy DNA?
I wish I knew the answers to these questions but unfortunately I do not. Because of the high numbers of dying churches in the Kingdom I am inclined to think God desires to birth something new and completely different. My instinct says that we are on the brink of a new type of revival within the Kingdom. One that will form a new type of church, not seen since the beginning of Christianity. The way in which we gather as Christ followers and live out our faith will be redefined for us in such a way that it will be hard to see any resemblance to our current church culture. We will be re-birthed and made new, in the fullest sense.
Some say that this won't happen until Jesus returns to claim His Kingdom. Maybe so. Maybe Jesus is coming back sooner than we think! I don't know. What I do know is that there is a huge amount of evidence mounting that Kingdom-wide, a large percentage of churches are dying and that there are more churches close to death now than at any other time in history. I also know that with death comes rebirth and a new life. Therefore I must acknowledge the church deaths and keep my eyes on the horizon for the rebirth.
This is an exhausting and challenging time to be in ministry, but it also is an exhilarating time. While the hardships are great, the joys are just as intense and wonderful. I liken these times to be similar to the birth of our nation or the beginning of civilization. We are cavemen on the brink of discovering fire! The changes and discoveries on the horizon for the Kingdom of God are so great that the impact won't be fully realized for generations to come. People will say to us, "Were you there? Did you see it happen? Were you a part of the rebirth? What was it like?" and they will marvel at our experiences, wishing they had been there too.
I wish I knew the answers to these questions but unfortunately I do not. Because of the high numbers of dying churches in the Kingdom I am inclined to think God desires to birth something new and completely different. My instinct says that we are on the brink of a new type of revival within the Kingdom. One that will form a new type of church, not seen since the beginning of Christianity. The way in which we gather as Christ followers and live out our faith will be redefined for us in such a way that it will be hard to see any resemblance to our current church culture. We will be re-birthed and made new, in the fullest sense.
Some say that this won't happen until Jesus returns to claim His Kingdom. Maybe so. Maybe Jesus is coming back sooner than we think! I don't know. What I do know is that there is a huge amount of evidence mounting that Kingdom-wide, a large percentage of churches are dying and that there are more churches close to death now than at any other time in history. I also know that with death comes rebirth and a new life. Therefore I must acknowledge the church deaths and keep my eyes on the horizon for the rebirth.
This is an exhausting and challenging time to be in ministry, but it also is an exhilarating time. While the hardships are great, the joys are just as intense and wonderful. I liken these times to be similar to the birth of our nation or the beginning of civilization. We are cavemen on the brink of discovering fire! The changes and discoveries on the horizon for the Kingdom of God are so great that the impact won't be fully realized for generations to come. People will say to us, "Were you there? Did you see it happen? Were you a part of the rebirth? What was it like?" and they will marvel at our experiences, wishing they had been there too.
Do you see dying churches where you live?
My husband and I have been in search of a new church home for about a year now. We have relocated to a new area, necessitating the search. As we have visited various churches it has been startling what's out there. I knew that many churches were declining in numbers and that there was a high percentage of dying churches but I had no idea how wide spread the problem was or how bad it really is out there. It's easy to neglect the Kingdom and be solely focused on the ministries of the church you belong to. Ministerial staff should explore the Kingdom and visit other churches more regularly to get a better pulse for Kingdom health. This is something I believe all churches should be more concerned about.
I would define a "dying" church to be one in which the weekly worship attendance has been on a steady decline for several years. In addition, the retention percentage of first time visitors is extremely low. Most likely, these dying churches have very few, if any baptisms each year and if you were to poll the ministerial staff they would say the church is weakest in evangelism.
But going deeper than that, there seems to be a dysfunction or illness in these dying churches. The DNA of the church has either been corrupted or was malformed during birth. Often the church members tend to be closed minded, protective of traditions and focused on living in the past and the memories of better times. These members also tend to live isolated lives from the rest of the world, unaware of the personal needs or spiritual well being of their neighbors.
I have found the pastors of these dying churches tend to preach heavily on the need for more evangelism, reminding church members of the great commandment and the need to share the gospel with those who have not heard it. These pastors are in a balancing act between not offending or angering current members while at the same time attempting to change unhealthy methods and behaviors slowing church growth and contributing to the lack of vitality. Pastors of dying churches find their time consumed with attending meetings in order to maintain the organization and see an increase in their weekly number of personal hours spent on church ministry.
The churches that are close to death have additional characteristics. Unfortunately, they tend to consist of mostly gray haired members and their Children's Ministry is either non-existent or quite low in attendance. Looking from the outside, it appears these churches lack any type of urgency or concern for others. This is something that is especially needed if they are to pull themselves out of the spiral of death they find themselves in and yet it is not present. Churches on the brink of death have pastors that are exhausted from trying to help breath life into their flock. They often work 60+ hours a week and carry the majority, if not all of the ministerial responsibilities and needs. And worst of all churches close to death are usually completely unaware of their imminent demise. The people are so out of touch with reality that it never enters their minds that they are on the brink of closing their doors for good.
Sadly, many dying churches don't see the writing on the wall even if the pastor has been sounding the alarm for quite some time. And the further they proceed in their dive, the harder it seems to be for them to pull out of their spiraling death, avoiding catastrophic injury.
I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed an increase in dying churches or has stories of similar experiences. If you are willing to share, I'd like to hear your story.
I would define a "dying" church to be one in which the weekly worship attendance has been on a steady decline for several years. In addition, the retention percentage of first time visitors is extremely low. Most likely, these dying churches have very few, if any baptisms each year and if you were to poll the ministerial staff they would say the church is weakest in evangelism.
But going deeper than that, there seems to be a dysfunction or illness in these dying churches. The DNA of the church has either been corrupted or was malformed during birth. Often the church members tend to be closed minded, protective of traditions and focused on living in the past and the memories of better times. These members also tend to live isolated lives from the rest of the world, unaware of the personal needs or spiritual well being of their neighbors.
I have found the pastors of these dying churches tend to preach heavily on the need for more evangelism, reminding church members of the great commandment and the need to share the gospel with those who have not heard it. These pastors are in a balancing act between not offending or angering current members while at the same time attempting to change unhealthy methods and behaviors slowing church growth and contributing to the lack of vitality. Pastors of dying churches find their time consumed with attending meetings in order to maintain the organization and see an increase in their weekly number of personal hours spent on church ministry.
The churches that are close to death have additional characteristics. Unfortunately, they tend to consist of mostly gray haired members and their Children's Ministry is either non-existent or quite low in attendance. Looking from the outside, it appears these churches lack any type of urgency or concern for others. This is something that is especially needed if they are to pull themselves out of the spiral of death they find themselves in and yet it is not present. Churches on the brink of death have pastors that are exhausted from trying to help breath life into their flock. They often work 60+ hours a week and carry the majority, if not all of the ministerial responsibilities and needs. And worst of all churches close to death are usually completely unaware of their imminent demise. The people are so out of touch with reality that it never enters their minds that they are on the brink of closing their doors for good.
Sadly, many dying churches don't see the writing on the wall even if the pastor has been sounding the alarm for quite some time. And the further they proceed in their dive, the harder it seems to be for them to pull out of their spiraling death, avoiding catastrophic injury.
I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed an increase in dying churches or has stories of similar experiences. If you are willing to share, I'd like to hear your story.
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