Podcast Episode #550
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The pace of decline for many churches is accelerating. The stats are quite alarming. Today, we cover a recent post on the topic.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- Corporate prayer in many churches is often more perfunctory than fervent.
- If your church is anchored to traditions of the past, it won’t move forward into the future.
- Church fights are signs of inward focus. Churches with an outward focus often fight less.
- Churches are becoming more open to outside consultants because they’re realizing that they need outside eyes to help them minister in the future.
The six reactions we discuss are:
- We need fervent prayer more than ever in our churches.
- Our church leaders and members must let go of the idols of the past and traditions that hold us back.
- If we are not focused and intentional on evangelism and sharing the gospel, we are little more than a religious social club.
- We must stop fighting each other and understand who the real enemy is.
- Church leaders should humbly seek interventions of coaching and consultation to see how God might lead us in fresh and exciting directions.
- I have seen too many churches breakout in God’s power to maintain a defeatist attitude. The One who resurrects the dead can bring any church back to life again.
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast
- Church Answers
- Revitalize Bundle – Use coupon code ROLBUNDLE19
- Church Answers Consulting
Rainer on Leadership is a member of the LifeWay Leadership Podcast Network
Episode Sponsors
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Feedback
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People are voting with their feet. The Bible is full of examples of people uniting or at least being prodded to who did not come from the same background or agree with each other. Perhaps not vilifying those with whom the rulers disagree would be a start.
Now, for most ordinary church members, the leadership is unreachable, much like secular elected officials. No input is sought from the congregation and rarely are questions answered. Leadership admitting that they need help is much akin to admitting failure.
I agree. There is way too much influence from filthy lucre in church leadership in these days. This causes arrogance and an inability to have an open ear/eye to people.
This sounds so much like my church! Leadership in my church behaves the same way.
It’s very frustrating. They’ve told me “they’ve been burned too many times” and they refuse outside help/opinions regarding their programming. Then, they wonder why the reception is always lukewarm and then they complain “it’s the same people showing up”.
A lot of their stuff (with just a few tweaks) could be really amazing – but they get caught up in their narrow vision. It’s almost like staff puts on events for staff, not the congregation. Just knowing their audience (and getting some input) would go a long way to making “the magic” they want to see in our church.
My spouse and I talk about leaving all the time b/c we don’t want to create the ministries that we’d like to see. Sometimes, we’d like to just go to a meeting or event and not have to work at it. (Sometimes, we’d just like to be lazy too!) It’s so easy to get burnt out b/c there’s so much work that needs to be done at our church.
That said, we’ve launched a married couples group. I’ve also been involved with creating a women’s ministry! We’ve received a lot of positive feedback and a lot of people now have that spark in their eyes which has been missing. There’s a lot of excitement and joy. At this point, we work with staff where we can. We work around staff where we have to – and somehow the Holy Spirit works it out!
One of the problems that leadership faces is that often those who want to get involved only want to focus on their pet projects or do what they think is fun. No body wants to do the dirty work, like showing up every week to teach a group of 5th graders (see yesterday’s post) or visiting the nursing home, or setting up tables and chairs for various ministries. You might have a committee for planning an event, but nobody can find the time to meet.
As a former leader, I have been “burned” many times by people who say they’ll commit and work and then don’t show up without even bothering to give an explanation. At least with staff, they’re paid to be there, but even then it’s been hit and miss with their level of commitment in my experience.
I’ve read many similar comments from you and I’ve always wondered what kind of a church you attend. In several churches where I have either attended or been a leader, I can tell you the leadership begs people to get involved, they beg people to come and talk to them rather than griping behind the scenes. They even have to implement incentives to get people to come to business meetings. And then when the pastor actually tries to lead and implement new ideas and make necessary changes, certain people get mad and even denounce him.
The principle problem with the church today is that it has abandoned emulating Christ. The church is called to be the physical, living manifestation of Christ in the world, the hands and feet. If one reads the Gospels, they will notice that everywhere Jesus went he taught the truth of God’s Word, He healed the sick and lame, and he provided for the needs of the poor. The church is to emulate Christ, thus we are to teach, provide medical care and provide benevolence; however, the church, under the leadership of the clergy, has abandoned its responsibilities to provide education, healthcare and benevolence; surrendering these responsibilities to government in 1935. It is time the Church returned to obedience to Christ. The way forward is for the clergy to teach the TRUTH about the mission of the church to their congregations and to become leaders of change. We have a leadership crisis in the church because the clergy are too focused on quantity over quality which has produced a clergy of appeasers. God is looking for leaders who are unwilling to compromise His commandments!!!
I agree with 90% of your comment. However, Jesus miraculously healed people. That’s not the same thing as providing healthcare, which the church is simply not equipped to do on any level given the complexity and expense of modern day healthcare.
Prior to 1935 and the Government takeover of Education, Healthcare (e.g. Medicare and Medicaid) and Benevolence (Social Security, 88 Welfare Programs) the Church was the primary source of Education (K-12 and College), Medical Care (Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc. Hospitals) and Benevolence. My mother received her RN training at a Baptist Hospital. I am not expecting individual Churches to open clinics, but we could cooperatively support Christian Hospitals.
Sadly I’ve given up on organized religion. The faith that was preached and that I believed in was only a tool that the Pastor used to have control over the congregation. My wife decided she wanted a divorce. I didn’t. I told the Pastor this. He promptly removed me as a Deacon, no longer a praise team member, and was no longer allowed to serve as a youth leader. I could still be a member of the church as long as I could prove I did everything I could possibly do to prevent the divorce. I left bleeding and scarred. I will never ever be a member of a church again. So I would say spiritual abuse is another reason people have stopped attending worship. Sadly it’s a topic not often spoken of.
Yep .. it seems as though God forgives us .. just not His church. Men foul everything.
Brother Bill, yes, organized religion is the problem but as a Pastor I tell my congregation our Faith in Christ Jesus is a personal relationship. I feel your hurt this morning. Praying for you dear brother.
The point that Corporate prayer in many churches is often more perfunctory than fervent is far to real in so many churches. I believe that corporate prayer is at the top of the devil’s hit list. If a church has relevant, serious, vibrant corporate prayer, I believe that everything else will fall into place because the Holy Spirit takes over. On the other hand if a church doesn’t have this kind of corporate prayer, they are in trouble and it doesn’t matter what else they do because the lack of corporate prayer indicates that their confidence is in the flesh.
I believe that pastors today are more concerned with numbers rather than the congregation. Also they don’t consult their committees or their teams they just do what they want and then get upset when the congregation questions that, if it wasn’t for members who are trying to live according to God’s word there would be a lot more churches declining.
KT –
Is blanket statements like yours that do so much harm. No, all pastors are not concerned more with numbers. In fact, most are not. Please do not offer your personal experience and opinion as a statement of divisive condemnation of all pastors.