We can all agree that life itself is cyclical, is up for awhile and down for awhile. For a time, times will be good and then the bottom will fall out. The money is good, it’s not so good. Our health is good, but problems come along, then things get better. Our job is fine, and then we hit a bump, but get over it. So we go on—because as we get older and wiser we know that things are not going to stay the way they are because we just know things have a way of changing and going off in directions that we would not have imagined. Probably the most constant in our lives is that things change.
Any student of history can attest that civilizations rise and civilizations fall only to rise again in another form. Nations come and go and come back with a new name.
Psychologists and Sociologists have observed that we are born and grow and go through stages of development on a progression from birth to death. Families, by the same token, form at marriage, produce children that grow up and leave the parent family to form new families. The parent family goes on for a while then finally dies. The stages of development of the family can be cataloged by observing the ages of the children as they develop, are in the home and leave, leaving the two parents who started it, alone with just each other once again to go on to old age together. At least that is the model—baring any unforeseen circumstances like a death, or a divorce, or some other traumatic occurrence that tends to derail the model.
Institutions such as companies, schools and, O yes, churches--tend to follow the same pattern. The pattern calls for formation, development, a rise, a fall, then finally a decline and subsequently a ceasing of operations. Death.
However, as far as a church is concerned—and here I am using the term church to mean a congregation in a certain place, city, town, street and so on, not the church, universal, that church that we are all a part of because of our faith in Jesus its Head, the church that He is building which will stand throughout eternity—(as far as a church, a local congregation of people is concerned) this decline leading to death can be halted, or at best, delayed by rebirth, by the people experiencing revival, by folk seeking renewal, by the rekindling of the flame of the Holy Spirit of God among the flock. In short, this decline, this death can be avoided by an influx of life within the membership. The death of a church can be forestalled by the people having a desire for God’s Word and by the congregation exhibiting a longing to be changed and renewed by a fresh in-filling of the Holy Spirit.
Let us look for a moment at something that is not pleasant, perhaps, but nevertheless, is an idea we must inevitably face. This church has been around for, what, 150 years? It may not be around for another 150 years. At some point, it will cease to exist. The church will die and we will see the doors boarded up, the grass and weeds and the briars growing high and the fire ants and the termites taking over.
In Luke the twelfth chapter, Jesus cautioned us about being able to look at the sky and know it was going to rain, but not being able to see what was going on around us. There are some signs that are becoming obvious if we have eyes to see. There are some indicators beginning to occur now and even have been occurring for quite some time that may very well tell us that the end may be nearer than we want to think.
Several have described to me from time to time that this church was once full of folk and kids and attendance was much more than it is today. As to the details and how long ago and how much and why, I do not know and it is not important. But what is important, is that this phenomenon has occurred and is currently in process. A decline in interest, in membership, in budget, in attendance has occurred and is, as we speak continuing to occur. Of course, in the history of the congregation, this may not be the first decline—but it is the one we have observed in recent history and we can continue to observe its process, if we have eyes to see.
Very recently we have seen the occurrence of a long-time faithful family, experience aging, and with it subsequent health difficulties that led to a decision to move to be closer to immediate family—to move away from the area, away from the county and away from this church.
Winds of change indicate that this same scenario may soon repeat itself again--and quite possibly, again.
Also, it is a fact of life that when people begin to experience aging, more frequently occurring health issues and just general physical decline, church attendance, church involvement—serving on committees, taking an active part in church activities slows way down so that ultimately we observe the cessation of church activities other than perhaps infrequent attendance and perhaps some continuing financial support.
Please note that how quickly these kinds of issues begin to become a factor in one’s involvement in the corporate activity of the church is directly proportional to one’s dedication to serving the Lord and one’s mindset as to what that service entails. But the strength of that dedication or its direction, guided by the individual’s mindset can not necessarily be measured but its effects can be observed in behaviors, those kinds of behaviors that we have defined, in practice, as church activities.
Therefore, if, just on the strength of these two reasons for decline in attendance and participation—that on the one hand, members move away and on the other hand, they get older, get health issues and become less active--we can predict a definite decline in church attendance and participation as the average age of the congregation gets higher. But this is true only if there are not some additions to take the place of those who left or of those who are slowing down.
But these additions, in order to change the equation, must be just as enthusiastic, just as well versed in scripture, just as dedicated to the Lord’s work as those who have left or slowed down and who had been very active in the recent past. It would help also, if these additions had a mindset that believes that the work going on at this church is, in fact, the Lord’s work. All of this will take some time and some effort just as those who went before, no doubt, grew in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord, but surely not overnight.
So we can then see that as the older ones leave and the younger ones come in, there is, of necessity, a time-lag before the replacements get up to speed. And, let’s face it, some never do. Some of those who come in are already loaded down with a young and demanding family, one or two jobs and are already burning the proverbial candle at both ends—all of which leaves little time or energy for church-related activities other than occasional attendance and minimal participation.
In the face of all this, how can we change the trend? How can we overcome? How can we choose life instead of death?
“With God all things are possible . . . If God be for us, who can be against us . . . He that is in us is stronger than he that is in the world.”
One way we have traditionally built churches—some denominations have this idea down to perfection—is to start with a strong Sunday School program for all ages, but especially the children and youth. If the kids are involved in kid-related activities and are getting some fun, fellowship and a little Bible along, the parents will not be far behind, especially, if the children are allowed to perform in the regular service from time to time. Parents, grandparents, godparents and relatives will be there. It’s a tried and true method of evangelism. Another factor, is that if the kids are getting their needs met, they tend to bring other kids—more evangelism.
In fact, if the adults are getting their needs met, they will stay with it, participate, give money, time and energy—and even boldly try to recruit their friends and acquaintances—more evangelism.
Speaking of needs met, this may well be a key factor in building any organization, as well as a church. As we have said, people will tend to attend, to support, to participate in any organization that can meet their real or perceived needs. However, a word of caution here might be in order as we consider the process of building a church. If we just have a group of folk who come together from time to time, and we call it a church. Our result may not be what Jesus had in mind when He said, “I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” Perhaps our attention should be focused more upon fulfilling the spiritual needs of the people, at least as an end goal.
But back to my original point: look at the signs. Look at the record. See what is happening to us. This church will die and the doors will be boarded up and the grass and weeds and the briars will grow high and the salamanders, the fire ants and the termites will have their day. But, whether that day will be far into the future, or right around the corner, is up to you and you and you, and, O yes, the preacher, whoever he or she might be, has some responsibility too.
I submit to you this morning, that unless there is constantly new life, renewal, enthusiasm for the Word, hunger for spiritual growth and excitement of the membership over the gospel of Christ, our demise as a church is not too far in the future!
Let me make something clear. There is a difference between the church--the “ecclesia” the “called out body” consisting of all those who have accepted Jesus as Lord of their lives from long ago to right now and into the future until He comes again--and this particular congregation.
We are two things in one. We are a part of the physical corporate body, with charters, names on our doors, membership rolls and denominational affiliation. We are also and at the same time, a part of His body, and each individual—who has made Jesus Lord of his or her life—is a part of the body of Christ.
There is the spiritual, the real, body of Christ—the bride anxiously awaiting the wedding day—and the physical congregations of folk with various names like First Church, Community Church, Central Church and so on, who are a part of the whole.
The physical counterparts, the denominations, the congregations, serve to provide a framework upon which to hang our spiritual hats. And, if one congregation dies out, the people left will migrate to another church if they have any interest in doing the Lord’s will. Most will, however, leave before the fact.
This church will die and the doors will be boarded up and the grass and weeds and the briars will grow high and the salamanders, the fire ants and the termites will have their day. And whether that day will be far into the future, or next year, or within the next 10 or 20 years, is up to you.
Unless there is constantly new life, renewal, enthusiasm for the Word, hunger for spiritual growth and excitement exhibited by the membership of this church. Unless there is enthusiasm for the glorious and wonderful gospel, the good news of Jesus the Christ with a burning desire to tell others to share the good news—the death of this church is just around the corner.
The death of this church can be avoided if we continue to cultivate an appetite and a desire for God’s Word and if we make a deliberate and conscious decision to be changed and renewed by a fresh in-filling of the Holy Spirit.
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