Podcast Episode #259
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Dying churches is a frequent topic on the blog. Today, we discuss four specific models of churches that can be considered on a path to death.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- Without the centrality of Scripture, you don’t really have a church.
- The natural tendency of a Christian or a Church is to drift away from Scripture.
- If you look in the mirror and ask the right questions, you will get a dose of reality.
- There’s a big difference in a country club and a church.
- The country club church is pervasive in western culture.
- Church business meetings are typically a time of dread for pastors and staff.
- A “Bad Words Church” ultimately becomes a toxic church.
- A lot of churches are metaphorically burning down, and no one is yelling “FIRE!”
The four types of dying churches we discuss are:
- The Ex-Bible Church
- The Country Club Church
- The Bad Words Church
- The Ex-Community Church
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My name is Charles Maina. I am a youth and prayer ministry Pastor at Buruburu Baptist Church, Nairobi – Kenya. I find this blog both edifying and enriching to me. It addresses many of the issues I encounter in ministry here in Nairobi even though the primary audience is the American church. Goes to show the universality of biblical truth. I often share the link to articles with fellow pastors and church members using our whatsapp group. Thank you Thom and your team for this gift to the body of Christ. May God abundantly bless you and continues to use you for His glory.
Way to go Charles Maina! I am looking for my beautiful friends from Africa now, who I used to work with here but they moved back home. I signed off Facebook age years ago and now can’t find them but they were the most beautiful Christian girls I’ve ever known. Always blessed and always happy. Thank you for what you do there.
Lynn
Thank you Lynn. Soo kind
Where is the blog post mentioned in the beginning of the podcast?
This does not refer to this blog but is a topic that, to my knowledge, has not been discussed regarding changing pastoral responsibilities in today’s church. I have pastored 32 years. When I began, I had an IBM Selectric Typewriter and went to church with “Bible in Hand”. Today, in a church avg 150 in attendance, we use presentation software on Sunday, dual projectors, 32 channel board for choir and praise team, computers for finance, admin assistant, etc. with wifi in the auditorium, Ed. Building, and Family Life Center. Words, DVDs, videos, and digital music are used each Sunday and must be converted to work with the appropriate software. And that has nothing to do with the church website, appropriate pics, updates, etc. plus Facebook, Twitter, etc..
The point of all the above is not to whine (I love technology) but to emphasize that days and weeks, etc. per year are taken by technology that has be added to help us in our ministry. We have people assigned to much of this, but we often find ourselves having to fill gaps. Much time is taken (as in my case) because we can’t wait for Brother so and so upgrade, fix, or get tech going that the finance or admin. office workers need. Paid support often cost too much.
I serve a great church with great staff and steady, regular volunteers to help with the “worship experience”. They do a great job. Great worship leader, youth pastor, etc.
The thing is, when I began in the 1980’s, we picked out a few hymns, the instruments (piano and organ) played, the congregation sang, I preached, God blessed and we went home. Today, tech is much more complicated, even in the small church, requiring much more time and effort (and skill) from “ministry staff”. This is expected by the congregation as the “contemporary (not referring to style) worship experience.” And it must be executed as flawlessly as possible each Sunday.
I know there are other pastors / staff that see this as a weekly / daily part of ministry today. Just a thought about a part of “practical ministry” in the 21st century.
I think Walt, it is partially because we now live in an “entertain me’ society which now requires more technology and “WOW” factor to keep them coming. Some folks are drawn to, and expect, a light flooded “Lion King” stage performance or else their attention span is soon depleted. With many congregations being so used to this, if on a given Sunday you simply cracked a hymnal, sang accompanied by the piano, preached a simple soul convicting sermon from the Bible and went home…..your numbers would probably be down by fifty percent come the next Sunday.
This, I believe is why some church goers are attracted to the “Status Churches” that can provide all the programs and bling that many of the smaller congregations cannot offer.
In our area I have heard it said many times, with almost an air of bragging and conceit that “Oh well….we attend such and such a church over on the elite side of town”.
You get the immediate feeling that they would never darken the doorway of your pitiful little poor church…..unless it was to attend a funeral or something.
Which kind of leads me to believe that being a “BIG” church doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an alive church.
I left a megachurch with all the technology there could possibly be to attend a church of roughly 100 people. We have a preacher with a Bible, a piano and and an organ, LOTS of Scripture and congregational prayer and genuine community. I’ve never looked back.
I attend a rapidly growing liturgical church in a city, and they don’t use anything contemporary during the service. Now they have the website and the “behind the scenes” tech for managing the finances and communication but the worship “experience” is something out of medieval Europe. It can be done.
Do you have any more recent studies on the growth of conservative churches? The book mentioned in the Resource section was published in 1972.
Thank you