Seven Signs Of A Dying Church!
As a Pastor for several years, a born again Christian for 14 years, and a church attender for the entirety of my life, I've been in several "seasons" in the life of a congregation! I've been there for the birth and maturing of a church, the booming growth of a church, the plateau of a church, and sadly the decline of a church. There are numerous reasons for each season, some controllable and some beyond our reach.
Today I want to focus on seven specific things that are signs of a dying church. Controllable problems that can be reversed! The sad part is this, many see the problem as someone and something else! We must ALL examine ourselves from time to time and be brutally honest with our own reflection. So as you read through this blog and you feel that you're a part of a dying church then evaluate yourself and see if you're the problem, and if not, how you can help in the revival of your church! Maybe your church is booming, ALIVE, and growing. I ask you to be honest with yourself and see if any of these apply to you. Because no matter how well the church is doing now, if these things persist, IT WILL DIE!
1.) The Prevalence of an Unteachable Spirit!
Every church has them, those who know everything! You know who I'm talking about. Those who say, "I don't want to hear the facts, I know what I believe!" When you feel as if you have it figured out, you're in serious trouble! As I said, every church has at least one person with an unteachable spirit but when a church reaches a tipping point is when the congregation is by majority, unteachable, or even worse, when the leaders are unteachable! The majority of the congregation may be thirsting and hungry for the Word and knowledge but if the leadership is unteachable, that church is destined to die! I've seen it first hand, the Lord begins to move in a direction the leaders have never been before, a direction the Lord is trying to use to teach them something, and in fear and pride they cause the push of the Holy Spirit to dwindle leaving a congregation like a ship without a rudder! We will never know it all, we should ever be growing, our vision may change, our understanding will change, and if you haven't learned anything new about the Word recently, this may be you!
2.) Tradition Before Mission!
When a church begins to hold tradition over the mission (the great commission) the church will die! The church has always been changing, evolving, maturing over its 2000+ years! Those afraid of change are those afraid of being uncomfortable! The greatest seasons of growth in a church are typically on the tail end of a major change! Whether it be style, order, remodel, or so on, there are times when change is necessary! To some, any change means compromise but to those who understand the church, the Word, and God's direction, we know that certain change is not only good, but necessary! Beware the moment that changes halt, leaders become comfortable and stagnant because at that moment a shift from growth to death has taken place!
3.) Elder to Youth Discipleship Is Absent!
One thing that most churches and christians alike fail to realize is that we're here to make disciples of Jesus Christ! The great commission wasn't to a select few but unto us all. Scripture teaches us that the elders are to teach the younger. The problem is that the elders don't respect the youth, don't desire to teach them, and feel that since they have little in common, becoming intertwined is useless. On the other hand, the youth fail to see the value in the wisdom of the elder, they fail to take the initiative to attach themselves to an elder, and many, in their youthful pride, think they can figure it out and make it through alone! The sad part is that neither realize the damaging effects of each others actions! If there is an absence of elder to youth discipleship, your church is doomed to die!
4.) Lack of Diversity!
I love to walk into a church that is filled with diversity! I love it when I see a 2 month old baby and an 85 year old saint on the same row! I love to see a church that has a passion for different ethnicities, ages, classes, and backgrounds. If your church has a narrow age range, one ethnicity, and people who seem to act, look, and be the same, then your church is either already dead or dying.
5.) Doctrine and Theology Are Absent From the Pulpit!
I like all styles of preaching from topical to expository and I personally think a diversity in the pulpit is beneficial to both the preacher and the congregation but when there is never a time of deep theological thought or strict doctrine being preached and taught from the leaders of the church then the congregation will be shallow in their knowledge and spiritual thinking. A little knowledge is dangerous, especially concerning God's Word and eternity! Many christians wouldn't even be able to tell you the fundamentals of the doctrine of the church they attend because pulpits across the globe are used as a place to pitch a cheap Grace more than a Grand God!
6.) Outreach is Obsolete!
If the only things your church does benefits or includes the people that attend there then your church isn't dying, it's dead! The lack of compelling compassion, a compassion that motivates you to action in the community, is a sign of a selfish assembly that lacks the understanding of the Gospel and are ultimately blind and probably lost! If your church has failed to impact the community around it, you don't have a church, you have a social club!
7.) No Recent Converts!
The one thing that is essential for the church to continue to live is for souls to be born again! If people aren't experiencing salvation, conversion by the power of the Holy Spirit in your church then the Holy Spirit may not abide there! And if the Holy Spirit isn't there then there is no life there! Life comes through the preaching of God's Word, the moving of the Spirit and the result is what the Bible says as "adding unto the church DAILY such that should be saved!" If the church has lost it's passion for the lost, the inability to present them the Gospel, and the lack of fervor to continually invest into them then converts will be few and the church will be DEAD!
I pray this has helped, I pray we'll all do a self examination and make sure we as individuals will do our best not to contribute to the death of the place of worship we attend! God bless!
