My purpose is neither to be morbid nor sensational.
Death is a delicate topic, especially the death of
churches. My purpose is to send a warning so changes can be made quickly and
urgently. My greater purpose, ironic as it may seem, is to send a message of
hope.
These six types of churches are described categorically,
but the categories are not mutually exclusive. Many of these deceased churches
fit most, if not all, of the categories. We have spoken with the leadership of
these churches. The conversations were sad but enlightening.
All of the churches noted in these categories have either
closed or announced their intentions to close. Thankfully, some of them
generously gave their sites to healthier churches. We hope to follow their
adoption progress closely.
1.
The aged church. For
the churches where I have data, the median age of the remaining membership was
76. In all cases, we learned that the church had been a church of older members for some time. In many cases,
they essentially ran off younger members who would have brought changes to
their congregations.
2.
The fighting church. The
deceased churches had numerous conflicts and, often, church splits. With each
new conflict, the church declined. Guests stopped coming to the divided church.
When the pandemic came, those who remained were too weary to keep the ministry
of the church going.
3.
The deferred maintenance church. These
churches did not make wise decisions to keep the facilities in good condition.
One church argued over choosing the contractor to install a new HVAC several
years ago, so they did nothing. Most of the churches simply refused to spend
the funds. Giving in the churches declined precipitously in the pandemic. The churches
literally could not pay the bills to keep the building maintained.
4.
The run-the-pastor-off church. These
churches pushed their pastors out either through forced resignations or firings
on a regular basis. Every two to four years, they fired and hired a pastor.
Usually, there was a power group in the church that did not want the pastor to
lead. So that group concocted a reason to push the pastor out. Many of these
churches could not find or afford a pastor during the pandemic.
5.
The neighborhood-looks-different
church. The neighborhood changed, but the church
didn’t. Those in the church looked differently than those in the neighborhood. When the pandemic came, the members
stopped making the drive to the church because they didn’t live in the church’s
community. COVID exacerbated a trend that had been in process for years.
6.
The infant church. These
churches were relatively new and did not have many members or givers before the
pandemic. Some of the churches were in leased spaces that would not let the
church regather during the pandemic. In all of these cases, the church had not
reached sufficient maturation to survive the implications of COVID.
Please contact someone who can help you if you sense your church is on the precipice of death, or if your church is not healthy. That person could be in your denomination or network.
We are also available at
Church Answers. Contact us at info@churchanswers.com. Please seek help. Please have
a willingness to be adopted by another church if possible.
Your church has its address for a reason. Your church is
to be a light in the community where God placed you.
Don’t let that light go away. We are here if we can help
in any way.
And also let us hear your stories, both the good and the
bad. We can always learn more for God’s glory.
This article originally appeared here.
Used with permission....
Please take a moment to comment as I monitor my post
to see if I should continue my blog postings. Thank you!
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