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Pastor and author Charles Swindoll shares the following story about the great lengths to which a particular pastor would go in order to maintain the survival of his church.
The ministry of the church is a ministry of people. When a church lives, it lives because the people within are vital and active. When a church dies, it withers and dies not because the brick and mortar and carpet and pews get old and begin to crack and rip and crumble. A church withers and dies because the people wither and die.
I think a vivid illustration of this comes from a true story of a young minister in Oklahoma who went to this little, though long-standing, church in hopes of really reviving the ministry of it. He had stars in his eyes and great hopes for the future. He thought he could turn it around. And he gave it his best effort and his best shot week after week, to no avail.
Finally, he had one last idea, and it seemed to work. He announced in the local newspaper on Saturday that the church had died, and on Sunday afternoon there would be a funeral service at the church itself, and all who wished could attend. For the first time in his years there the place was packed. In fact, people were standing outside on tiptoes looking through the window to see this most unusual funeral service for a church.
To their shock, because most of them got there twenty or thirty minutes early to get a seat, there was a casket down front. And it was smothered with flowers. He told the people as soon as the eulogy was finished, they could pass by and view the remains of the dearly beloved that they were putting to rest that day. They could hardly wait until he finished the eulogy. He slowly opened the casket, pushed the flowers aside, and people walked by, filed by, one by one, to look in and leave sheepishly, feeling guilty as they walked out the door, because inside the casket he had placed a large mirror. As they walked by, they saw the church that had died.
While this is obviously an extreme case, in reality, every local church will at some time close its doors, unless the Lord returns before this occurs. All of the great local churches in the New Testament—the churches in Jerusalem and Antioch to the churches to whom the writers of Scripture would address their letters—have all closed their doors. The greatest of leaders and the most vibrant of ministries could not stop this fact from occurring. Of course, before we become discouraged by this truth, we must remember that Jesus promised that He would build the church “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Until He returns, the Church will continue to thrive in new ways and places. Local churches will close their doors, but new ones will be opened. The gospel cannot be stopped!
The question before our own congregation is this: how can we not simply survive, but thrive? How can we do more than maintain our standing, but advance our effectiveness for Christ? The task will not be easy. In an article titled 3 Reasons You Church is at Risk of Decline, Pastor Dean Inserra points to at least three reasons that even our church is quite fragile in its existence in the near future. He calls attention to the following trends in most local churches in America:
Most churches grow by transfer. In other words, people at one church leave and join another church. While there may be very appropriate reasons to leave a church, this is what is often termed “swapping sheep.” In truth, many who leave a church for any particular reason may be likely to do so again at their new church.
The church is increasingly under pressure from societal changes. As the views in our culture become increasingly antibiblical, particularly in matters of marriage and sexual preference, the church which holds to biblical doctrine will probably lose attenders. Many will not even want to be associated with a church that is “non-affirming” to those who do not hold to Scripture’s teaching.
For many, the local church is not a priority. At our current rate, “regular attendance” equates to an individual or family present just once a month. More and more options are offered at the very time when the church meets. Children are watching their parents choose any manner of various ways to spend their Sundays or any other time the church comes together. If parents today are making these choices, what impact will it have upon their grandchildren?
I am so thankful that our church is continuing to grow and thrive. How can we persist in effective ministry? At least one vital piece is the connectivity of our people with one another. This occurs when every person is given the opportunity for meaningful fellowship. To this end, our Sunday school ministry exists. In addition to this, we have begun our Sunday Night Home Groups. Each of these ministries is designed to help every individual in our church to develop meaningful relationships with one another. As we grow to love each other, our love for Christ deepens as well. The local church is then more than a building or a time of the week. Through meaningful fellowship, the local church is a body—the body of Christ—of which we are an intimate and important part.
Praying you will be and stay connected,
Jason