As we enter a new year there will be many reflections on past failures as well as victories. There will be new determination to do better, accomplish more, and grow deeper. Preachers across the land in the next few weeks will attempt to utilize these reflections to sound forth a missionary vision.
I once asked a traveling evangelist friend if he normally saw big changes in churches. His answer did not surprise me at all. Most churches stay about the same size over the years, or decline. There are relatively few breakout churches that grow like crazy! How about your church? In spite of the many efforts, programs, and events … is your church essentially the same as it was ten years ago (or perhaps even declined?). Do not be dismayed as if you are the only one. You aren’t. Most churches are in decline.
There are many answers out there. Books, seminars, and traveling experts can tell us all the reasons for our decline and offer unique ideas to turn things around. Often what works at one church is a disaster at another church.
I think church growth efforts are a lot like diets. Most of them work. Most of them work on basically the same principles. And most of them work long term – only if you can effect significant changes in your habits. Just like eating habits, church habits are mighty hard to change. Most of them seem to be short-lived. And just like eating habits, there are unconscious elements at work that push us into actions we previously resolved not to do.
So this is not written to be a stinging critique as much as an an attempt to expose the unconscious goals of established churches – the ones that remain essentially the same, in spite of expressed desires to grow. Perhaps there is some value in at lease acknowledging these, recognizing them for what they are, and being motivated to move beyond them. I will characterize each of these unconscious goals in terms of preservation.
1. Preserve Our Atmosphere. There are just things about our church that make us us. Doing things that disturb that natural feeling causes distress. Phrases like “we’re not here to entertain” or “it’s just a fad” are meant to tell us that we shouldn’t do something because it disrupts the atmosphere. Every church has an atmosphere, and most of the members enjoy it – else they wouldn’t be there.
2. Preserve the Worship of our Precious Memories. Related to the first item, but distinct, is not only preserving our current worship atmosphere, but attempting to retain the worship we remember in our younger years. The hymns of our youth take on new meaning to our aging hearts, and to lose those is to lose a treasure. The location of the communion table, the particular order of worship, our favorite seat, and even the quietness of the congregation are all things that many would like to preserve. This is not done out of doctrinal conviction at all, but out of reverence for the church of days gone by.
3. Preserve a comfortable distance from others. For many people “church” is a place to go. There, we sit alongside other believers and engage in mostly an individual and personal worship. We may arrive late and leave early to avoid having to engage in conversation with others. It will be a week for most of us before we will be in the company of believers again. This is not only acceptable, it is preferred. There is a merry band of believers who loves to visit and talk and be involved with others in the church, but it seems that many people do not prefer this type of fellowship.
4. Preserve Our Number. Every new person changes the mix … upsets the atmosphere a bit. Every new person invites a set of cirucmstances to be served, prayed over … demanding time and service. It’s just easier if we tend to each other – and don’t we have enough to keep us busy already? No one that I know would say these things out loud. But the evidence is pretty strong that this unconscious goal of not bringing too many new people into the number exists. I think our lack of bringing guests with us to worship is one indicator of this. Another is that we are not teaching people the gospel of Christ. And if I’m not wrong, very few churches have a plan in place for when they outgrow their facility. We expect to preserve our number, in spite of all of our talk otherwise. Is evangelism our number one priority? What happens when outreach conflicts with comfort? Which one wins out in the end?
Maybe you can add to this list. Please feel free to do so in the comments. Again, I’m not being pessimistic. I recognize that most of us would scowl at these goals, and have a hard time admitting to them. But I challenge us to look at them, honestly think about ourselves in light of them, and then try to pinpoint ways to grow beyond them.
When we understand the preservationist motives flowing beneath the surface of our churches, we can understand better why young people abandon the church so frequently, why new people do not feel welcomed in immediately, and why we respond so aggressively against any changes that attempt to turn the ship around.
If I’m wrong, let me know.
Thanks for Reading.
John
I enjoy reading your comments constantly. You challenge me constantly- thanks.
Perhaps yet another reason is because we are so afraid that change will lead us into the ways of liberalism. And we do see that we can become so liberal that the Word of God means nothing anymore, and we become like the children of Israel of old. I pray that God will always help us find the middle ground.
Tommy
I think that those are very valid points. We get caught up in our own comfortable worlds and wonder why people do not come into our world. There is a quote, that sums up this idea for me from the book, ERAGON, “We were not born to do what we want but to do what needs to be done.” We get tunnel vision and wake up twenty years later wondering what happened. I value my own comfort, rights and convenience over humanity most days and since I am the church, I miss out on the opportunities that God lays at my door. We have to instill individual responsiblity first before the corporate church can exist. I have to hold myself accountable in word, thought and deed before I can work within a body. I am not stressing perfection but submission. That is what made the early Church work. Giving of ourselves beyond convenience and society’s norms will set us apart from the world.
Thanks Tommy. (and thank you for your many comments during the height of our crisis…each one was precious to us … I remember well our days in college together. Appreciate your encouragement.)
Jayme, excellent point on individual responsibility being the predecessor to corporate ministry. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Good stuff.
The church in New England is in decline. There are many ministry opportunities and some wonderful people here but we need help. I pray daily that I’ll live long enough to witness a great revival of God’s people. We are often tempted to move somewhere to be part of a bigger church so that we can just be plugged into an established and growing ministry. But for some reason we’re still here (13 years now). Please pray for us.
Until about two months ago, I’ve never been a part of a church that wasn’t in decline … 55 years of it! You make excellent and valid points and your spirit is not one of criticism. It’s just what those of us who have spent years in the pulpit notice over a period of time.
Hey John,
Good thoughts, and good comments from everyone. I think that your unconscious goals are right on the money. However, I wonder if most church growth methodologies work – and if they do work, what are they accomplishing?
Growing a church is not necessarily a bad goal, but it seems to me that much of that growth is transfer growth between congregations. Obviously, in such instances when congregation grows, another shrinks. On the other hand, if churches are growing through the conversion of previously unchurched or non-believing folks, then we all have reason to celebrate. I don’t believe this is the case generally, but I could be wrong.
The comment: “Often what works at one church is a disaster at another church” is, I think, right on the money. This is the lesson that church leaders need to learn. I am convinced that every methodology that “works” involves a convergence of multiple factors – including the right people to implement it, an appropriate context in which to implement the methodology, and a receptive audience. Of course, I don’t want to discount God’s blessing in any of this, but His blessings may include all of the factors that I mentioned above, as well as others that I haven’t even thought of.
For example, consider Willow Creek. I suspect that Bill Hybels’ ideas needed Bill Hybels to implement them, along with a support staff and an audience that was ready for the message to be presented in such a fashion. If anyone tries to take the approach that Hybels used in suburban Chicago and try similar things in Memphis or Washington, DC, then I suspect that their efforts are doomed.
John,
So very true and very well said.
In your wildest imagination can you picture this scenario? The Apostle Paul visits an unnamed town, say near Corinth, and by preaching the good news in a few months has about 3 dozen men and women who have publically claimed Christ as Lord and have said yes to God in the waters of baptism. They loved Christ and each other and started to worship together on a weekly basis.
8 or 10 years later Paul returns on one of his travels and visits some of these converts and discovers that there are still only about 3 dozen who worship together and publically claim Christ as Lord. And, Paul has no rebuke for them?
In my view this is the most unlikely thing that could ever happen. But I and you and every reader perhaps know churches where this is almost exactly the case. How could it be?
They stopped preaching the gospel of Christ in favor of preaching their church or way of doing church.
When they did think of those on the outside, the goal became “church” rather than “Christ”.
They came to believe God was satisfied with them completely if they were “faithful” in practice and “sound” in doctrine.
If the story of Jesus is real the teaching about hell is real and we twiddle our thumbs and pretend all is well. May God shake us awake.
Royce
This is overly simple but it seems to me that any church that wants to grow/ and actually is growing has a desire to change. There is nothing about saying we want to change that scares anyone in the leadership. Having been on both sides of that fence it seems to be a common denominator to me. I have had the privilege of being a part of one Church of Christ that was a fast growing congregation. It grew rapidly until those who didn’t want change caused it to split.
The church we work with now has doubled in size almost every year. There is a strong desire to be agents of change in peoples lives and to always be changing “how we do things” in order to improve.
In a time when a culture of “consumer Christianity” seems to prevail in a majority of churches, certainly in those that are not enjoying “real growth”, I think the answer is obvious. As long as church leaders are busy trying to offer the church members the best “experience” possible in their worship service, then we will not enjoy real growth that is lasting. Perhaps a charismatic speaker with an unusual message will attract a crowd seeking the latest celebrity, but its not the formula for real, lasting growth.
Ephesians 4:11-13 clearly explains that the purpose of church leaders including teachers is to “lead” the body to service. Why? For the purpose of spiritual maturity and growth of the body. Find a minister that is leading his body to serving those in spiritual, physical and emotional need and I think we will find a body that is growing. I think that is when and where we will find a body where the members are growing spiritually and the body is growing numerically. It’s the broken heart, the emotionally stressed, the physically suffering soul that is receptive to change (repentance) and seeking Christ and not the world.