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This year's rush is particularly insidious because it comes at the end of a year we’ll never forget. Pandemics and racial unrest and a volatile election and stay-at-home orders have arrested our attention. We’re weary. We’re worn. And we’re in need of a slow-down of our souls.

Like an organism, when church health declines, it typically does so slowly. But there are cases when an otherwise healthy person experiences a sudden deterioration. Healthy churches can also experience a sharp decline in health. There are cases of healthy churches quickly becoming dysfunctional. Below are five ways I’ve seen churches spiral downward quickly, almost overnight.

These simple principles are not the exhaustive list of what is required in making tough decisions, but they do provide the beginnings of a framework. Your next series of decisions can determine the health of your family, church, and community. Faith does not exist with the absence of fear, but it is advancing despite the presence of it. Go on and make your next move.