August 15, 2023
Like people, churches have a lifecycle. We all rejoice when a new church is started. Excitement runs high, and people are thrilled to engage in sharing the Gospel in order to see new converts and new members. We praise the Lord for growth, and influence spreads into the life of the community. If Christ is in the rightful place as Head of the church, darkness will be pressed back, and people will experience transformation, and more and more folks will take on roles of service and ministry.
But here’s the part of the lifecycle we aren’t so thrilled about: attendance and excitement begin to plateau, and over a period of time people grow comfortable with things as they are, and stagnation occurs. Unless something changes to disrupt this part of the cycle, the church will decline, and one day reach a point that is unsustainable. Church closure eventually happens.
Here are some things we would do well to remember about Christ-honoring, godly churches:
1. During their lifecycle, good seed was sown into the lives of people, and into the life of the community. Just as we are not ready to say goodbye to precious loved ones, we are most likely not ready to say goodbye to a church that has become precious to us. But we should recognize that death is NOT NECESSARILY an indication of a lack of good things accomplished during the years of a church’s life.
2. To everything there is a season … we know the passage in Ecclesiastes 3 very well: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build …” (Eccl. 3:1-3)
BUT PLEASE DON’T MISS THIS – I am NOT saying that we cannot prevent the premature death of our churches! We can, and we should! There is no set life expectancy, and it is up to us to ensure healthy practices that will carry the church forward for a very long time to come.
Thom Rainer has distinguished himself as a trusted expert in the field of church health, and Christian leadership. He published a book entitled “Autopsy of a Deceased Church.” You can find it everywhere Christian books are sold. He has condensed some of the gemstones from it in a very readable, 750-word blog on his “Church Answers” website.
Dr. Thom RainerYou can find his August 7th post entitled “Why Your Church Will Die Within Five Years” by clicking HERE. Dr. Rainer may not know everything, but his wisdom has been helpful to many. I do encourage this read.
