Signs of Decline in Churches: A Call for Renewal
Explore the warning signs of decline in churches through topics like clergy course of study, strategic planning for growth, and the autopsy of a dead church. Reflect on the importance of recognizing these signs and making necessary changes to revive and empower congregations. The content emphasizes the responsibility to prevent the slow erosion of spiritual and physical aspects within church communities.
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STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR CHURCH GROWTH AND RENEWAL: EMPOWERING THE LAITY
AUTOPSY: OF A DEAD CHURCH Why? An autopsy is the examination of a dead body to determine the Cause of Death When? Only after it is dead and then it is too late for LIFE How? The viewing of an autopsy for family is very gruesome not to mention painful and is only beneficial if it is received as a warning to the living.
AUTOPSY There is a lot we can learn from closed and declining churches Thom Rainer in his book Breakout Churches states that an estimated 100,000 churches will close this year. 60% of all churches in the United States has an average Sunday attendance of less than sixty.
AUTOPSY Let us pray that God will give us courage to read the signs and make the necessary changes to give new life to the churches He has placed in our Care.
HERES YOUR SIGN: SLOW EROSION Most churches do not just close their doors most die a slow but inevitable death Decline is everywhere yet no one seems to see it. For those who see it there doesn t seem to be a sense of Urgency to stop and reverse the decline
SLOW EROSION Decline in the Physical property Driveway Directional Signs The electrical system The sound system The roof The lawn care, cemetery Kitchen appliances Pews, hymn books
SLOW EROSION Spiritual decline Ex: use to have two bible studies a week now none Worship attendance down or stagnant Sunday school down or holding Decline in active prayer lives No Christian discipleship programs Disconnected from the community No focus on the outward ministries of the church No visioning from the members, dreams, hopes
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF A CHURCH? Haggai (example) Jews retuning from exile Given one command rebuild (renewal) the Temple They laid the foundations for the breaches and quit They built their homes They got comfortable and complacent They forgot the Temple, They forgot God s command They forgot about God
AUTOPSY: A COMMON THREAD The Past We will die before we change. Most Do. The good old days. The way it was is the way we want it today
HOLD ON AT ALL COST: HARRY TRUMAN Harry R. Truman Foot of Mt. St. Helens May 16, 1980 Lost his home and his life Why did he die? He was trying to hold onto his past. He ignored all of the warning signs. He refused to change
WHAT DO DECEASED AND DYING CHURCHES HOLD ON TO? Worship styles Traditional Contemporary Formal/informal Fixed orders of worship Times of worship Homecoming Revivals 5thSunday sings Emphasis was on the way we ve always done it . some cling to property the building My mama and daddy started this church This room is named after Mr. +Mrs. Someone special No new pastor unless it is Mr. everybody s favorite from 30 years ago All dead or declining churches began to focus on themselves
CHANGE To cause to be different; to cause to be altered; to transform God has called us to be different Titus 2:14 periousios a compound of being beyond usual, that is, special (one s own): - peculiar. 1 Pe 2:9 God has altered our thinking Ph 2:5 phroneo to exercise the mind, that is, entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; by implication to be (mentally) disposed (more or less earnestly in a certain direction). God asks us to be transformed Ro 12 1-2 metamorphoo metamorphose ): - change, transfigure, transform.
NOT TO CHANGE Our Biblical views This can get us in trouble Theological Stances The Trinity, the Resurrection, the Virgin Birth Doctrinal Beliefs Doctrine of Holiness Sacraments Baptism, Lord s Supper Fundamentalism Marriage Sanctity of life
OUR COMMUNITIES CHANGE Racial/Ethnic Make-up Economically Agrarian to manufacturing to Service Oriented Low tech (3 tv Channels) High tech (satellites) Wood signs to electric signs to digital message centers Type-writers to word processors to computers Age related changes (elderly in home now 39 nursing care facilities)
CHURCHES CHANGE Historically personal evangelism and Christian Discipleship have always been at the heart of church growth Traditionally the church was at the center of the communities in which they existed Typically the church had a clear understanding of the Great Commission and applied its concepts to the ministries that it developed.
DEAD AND DYING CHURCHES SLOWLY BECOME A FORTRESS A place of fortification; a fortified place Fort Knox Tanks, soldiers, vaults, cameras, alarms A Medieval Castle A moat, gates, draw bridge, watch tower Has two-fold purpose To keep those who are inside safe and secure To keep those that are outside just that outside
FORTRESS CONTD But what history shows us is that most of the time those inside the fortress suffered greater loss than those on the outside. Because those on the outside turned it into a siege and those inside find themselves at the mercy of the outsiders.
$$ SHOW ME THE MONEY $$ Wellington R. Burt Died in 1919 Listed as the 8th wealthiest man in all of America Powerful Politician Mayor of Saginaw , MI State Senator in Michigan Known as one of the greediest men ever His will stated that no one could receive any money until 21 years after the death of his last grandchild 2011, 12 recipients received funds, 92 years later
CHURCHES TOO I have never heard a church say we are a greedy church Not greedy but inwardly focused In dying churches the last expenditures to be cut are those that keep the church members most comfortable Facility building cost Personnel salaries
WHERE ARE THE CUTS MADE? Outreach ministries Food banks Basic human needs Food pantries, medical assistance, utilities Evangelism Newspaper, radio, television, literature, internet, signage Publicity campaign, word of mouth- door-to-door, group or street evangelism Christian Discipleship-Bible study, Worship Service, Sunday School, Book of Discipline, Training for Service
WHERE ARE THE CUTS MADE? CONTD Facility usage is restricted No AA, NA, Al-Anon meetings allowed No GED classes welcomed The goal is to protect our property
Role of pastor Eph 4:11f Acts 6:1-8 Perfecting Equipping Work of ministry All the parts working Edifying Maturity PART II PART II
MARK 10:21-22 Young rich ruler Sell all Give all Pick-up the Cross Follow me He was grieved because he had a lot of possessions Not all churches die broke Can have plenty of money Inherited assets Physical property They accumulate for fear of not having Money being used to keep the members happy To keep the machinery of the church going
THE GREAT OMISSION OF THE: GREAT COMMISSION Some churches and Pastors start with the Great Commission very few keep it (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association) Too often we forget the Great Commission Two components Evangelism and Christian Discipleship Focus rather on Programs (Methods)
PROGRAMS FOR CHURCH GROWTH Twelve Steps for an Effective Church by Ken Callahan Effective Church Planning by Lyle Schaller Vision 2000 FRANgelism for church growth Open Hearts, Open Doors, Open Minds There is one problem that is common in them all-
WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM? The emphasis was to small and focused simply on church growth and not on KINGDOM Growth Success was contingent upon a few faithful folk. Evangelism Committee Outreach and Missions Committee To be a success the entire church has to be involved it has to become all anyone, any where and at anytime all of us: reaching out to
MATTHEW 28:19-20 Four Imperatives Go Teach Baptize Make disciples Verb-expresses existence, action or occurrence
GO To move or travel to proceed To function properly Poreuomai to traverse, that is, travel (literally or figuratively; especially to remove [figuratively die], live, etc.): - depart, go (away, forth, one s way, up), (make a, take a)
TEACH To cause to learn by example or experience mathe teuo to become a pupil; transitively to disciple, that is, enrol as scholar: - be disciple, instruct, teach.
BAPTIZING An initiation or purification experience baptizo to make whelmed (that is, fully wet); used only (in the New Testament) of ceremonial ablution, especially (technically) of the ordinance of Christian baptism: - baptist, baptize, wash.
MAKE DISCIPLES To change from one form or function to another te reo to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon)
WHY HAS THE CHURCH STOPPED GROWING? Simple! Great Commission Disobedience We have chosen not to remember We have chosen comfort over reaching out We have ignored the action words Go, Make, Baptize, Teach No outreach, not willing to indorse, invite, invest Not willing to do intercessory prayer Not willing to give sacrificially Work, hard, fast, a lot
PURPOSE DRIVEN VS PREFERENCE DRIVEN What God Desires. What I want. Me, myself and I My music style My length of service My order of service My Activities My program My need for the Pastor My, Me, Mine
Ten out of fourteen churches that closed their doors had a common theme of short lived pastorates. Most church tenures last two to three years New pastor Leads Changes Church declines Church resists Pastor leaves PASTOR TENURES DECREASE PASTOR TENURES DECREASE
TENURE STAGES The Honeymoon Pastor and church wanted a change, everyone happy last one to two years Lovers quarrel Some conflicts /challenges arise pastor/church begins to learn each others faults 2 to 3 years Cross roads-years 4 to 5 Critical time usually some crisis will arise pastor will leave or be forced out Conflict resolution managed well pastor and church will maintain a good relationship
TENURE STAGES: PART II Fruit and Harvest years 5-10 If the church survives the first crossroads research shows that churches experience their best years when measured by any metric. Crossroads again year ten--The first cross roads was decided by the Pastor, the church or both. During this rare tenure usually the pastor goes down one of two paths:
TENURE STAGES III A) reinvigorated, as a leader ready to tackle new challenges Eager to help cast new visions B)resistant to change Becomes complacent Fights against new ideas I have seen it happen both ways and can t explain why.
LACK OF UNITY No harmony in the body (Acts 2:42) Biblical teaching Christian fellowship Breaking Bread Prayer
NO CLEAR PURPOSE/ VISION/MISSION 1980 Olympics (Miracle on Ice) U.S. wins Gold) Herb Brooks Students against Professionals How did he empower them to do the unthinkable. What is our Mission Statement? What is our Vision Statement? What is our Strategic Plan? For the year, the next 3 years, the next 10?
MISSION STATEMENT Sacred Pathways: To bring positive change to our community. To bring aid to the homeless, to establish avenues of assistance for those suffering from alcohol and substance abuse issues to bring awareness of these and other social ills to the community. Building relationships that restore integrity, productivity and full human potential.
MISSION STATEMENT Re-examined Restated Refresh A church without a Gospel centered purpose is no longer a church at all. Domino s Pizza Domino s
STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR CHURCH GROWTH AND RENEWAL: EMPOWERING THE LAITY
FACILITY OBCESSION Fights over property 8 out of 14 churches split over in some cases the pulpit. Who can use the van? Fellowship hall, et cetera Replacing of window or doors.
FOUR TYPES OF CHURCHES Healthy- vibrate mission goal centered Early signs of sickness Those that are very sick Declining congregations
STATISTICS healthy 10% sos 40% very sick 40% declining 10%
SYPMTOMS OF SICKNESS Attitudes is that the best days of the church are in the past Worship attendance has declined in the past five years No concrete plan for making disciples Busyness replaces evangelism
HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM Pray that GOD will open the eyes of the pastor and church leaders to seek out opportunities to reach the lost Take an HONEST look at how the church members spend their time being involved at church Audit how the church spends the Lord s money Make specific plans and goals to reach the community
