According to Thom Rainer, 90% of churches are either declining or growing at a slower pace than their communities. That means the overwhelming majority of our congregations need to take a good look in the mirror & consider how they might breathe new life into their ministry & revitalize their congregation. Sadly however, while the need is overwhelming, the response in many cases will simply not rise to the level necessary to address the issue. Here are just a few reasons why many of our congregations simply will not revitalize even though they're obviously in decline.
1) They Don't Realize They Need It.
This is a bigger issue than we may realize. Often decline is slow, almost imperceptible. That means we don't always see the decay or what led to the decay. The longer we're in a stagnant environment, the more it becomes normal. We become desensitized to the fact that we're no longer reaching people, that our church has become inwardly focused, or that our congregation is heading down a dangerous path. The only way to remedy this is for someone or a group of someones telling the truth. Yes, that truth will be ugly, & people may not want to hear it. However, if the church is going to turn around & become a vibrant gospel influence in its community again, they must first recognize that they're not.
2) They Know It Will Mean Change.
Then there's the other group of churches. These churches know something isn't quite right. They recognize that they're not reaching people. They're just not going to do anything about it. Why? Because of change. Sadly, many congregations fear change more than they fear decline & death. The ironic thing is that in death everything changes. The programs: gone. The buildings: gone. The traditions: gone. The things we often fight to preserve at all costs will literally cost us everything, & they'll be pried from our dead hands.
3) They Can't See A Way.
Because congregations resist change, by the time they realize the need for revitalization, the task seems so daunting that they just can't see how it can happen. Usually there are really big issues: finances, declining facilities, & leadership issues are pretty common is church that need revitalizing. While these are big issues that will have to be dealt with, if you only focus on those, you'll be tempted to overlook the spiritual component of ministry. While tackling those issues, we also have to be refocusing on the core of what it means to be the church: The Gospel & The Great Commission. When a congregation gets back on track in those areas, the other issues will seem smaller because God will seem greater. These issues won't go away. In fact, you'll still face them when the church is growing & healthy, but you'll be dealing with them from a strong place spiritually.
4) Leadership Won't Lead.
You've heard it over & over again: everything rises & falls on leadership. When the leadership is either oblivious to the need or to afraid to address it, the whole ministry & congregation suffers. Too often the pastoral staff &/or the lay leadership is too afraid to lead in the direction of revitalization. Their fear of "What people will think?" or "What if this doesn't work?" is greater than their faith that God can use their leadership to revive the Gospel work of their congregation. If you're afraid to lead change, you can't lead. It's that simple. Leaders, you will have to give an account for your stewardship of leadership. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be like the servant in Jesus' parable who did nothing with what was entrusted to him. Yes, leadership is risky. Yes, leading a church toward revitalization will probably upset some people as it upsets the status quo, but isn't pursuing the Great Commission & advancing the Gospel among the lost worth agitating some stagnant church members?
5) They're Already Dead.
This is the sad one that nobody wants to talk about. Believe it or not, you can kill a congregation. Just because Jesus promised to build His church doesn't mean He will build your congregation. He will be faithful to His people, but He will not preserve a congregation that no longer magnifies His glory or advances it's mission. These are a relatively few congregations, but the longer a declining congregation does nothing, the closer they come to their time of death. If you're in one of these churches & you've fought the good fight & sounded the alarm only to be ignored or marginalized by leadership or the congregation in general, prayerfully consider moving on because what is coming is going to be even more heartbreaking, & you don't have to stick around to bury the dead. As Jesus said, "Let the dead bury the dead."
These are just a few reasons I've encountered & heard about in ministry. What are some other reasons why church who are in decline just will not pursue revitalization? Would love to have you leave some examples in the comments below.
If you're in the middle of a revitalization effort & feel overwhelmed, visit namb.net, thomrainer.com, & replanters.com for resources & encouragement in leading a congregation through revitalization.
