I was their church consultant in 2003. The church’s peak attendance was 750 in 1975. By the time I got there the attendance had fallen to an average of 83. The large sanctuary seemed to swallow the relatively small crowd on Sunday morning.
The reality was that most of the members did not want me there. They were not about to pay a consultant to tell them what was wrong with their church. Only when a benevolent member offered to foot my entire bill did the congregation grudgingly agree to retain me.
I worked with the church for three weeks. The problems were obvious; the solutions were difficult.
On my last day, the benefactor walked me to my rental car. “What do you think, Thom?” he asked. He could see the uncertainty in my expression, so he clarified. “How long can our church survive?” I paused for a moment, and then offered the bad news. “I believe the church will close its doors in five years.”
I was wrong. The church closed just a few weeks ago. Like many dying churches, it held on to life tenaciously. This church lasted ten years after my terminal diagnosis.
My friend from the church called to tell me the news. I took no pleasure in discovering that not only was my diagnosis correct, I had mostly gotten right all the signs of the impending death of the church. Together my friend and I reviewed the past ten years. I think we were able to piece together a fairly accurate autopsy. Here are eleven things I learned.
- The church refused to look like the community. The community began a transition toward a lower socioeconomic class thirty years ago, but the church members had no desire to reach the new residents. The congregation thus became an island of middle-class members in a sea of lower-class residents.
- The church had no community-focused ministries. This part of the autopsy may seem to be stating the obvious, but I wanted to be certain. My friend affirmed my suspicions. There was no attempt to reach the community.
- Members became more focused on memorials. Do not hear my statement as a criticism of memorials. Indeed, I recently funded a memorial in memory of my late grandson. The memorials at the church were chairs, tables, rooms, and other places where a neat plaque could be placed. The point is that the memorials became an obsession at the church. More and more emphasis was placed on the past.
- The percentage of the budget for members’ needs kept increasing. At the church’s death, the percentage was over 98 percent.
- There were no evangelistic emphases. When a church loses its passion to reach the lost, the congregation begins to die.
- The members had more and more arguments about what they wanted. As the church continued to decline toward death, the inward focus of the members turned caustic. Arguments were more frequent; business meetings became more acrimonious.
- With few exceptions, pastoral tenure grew shorter and shorter. The church had seven pastors in its final ten years. The last three pastors were bi-vocational. All of the seven pastors left discouraged.
- The church rarely prayed together. In its last eight years, the only time of corporate prayer was a three-minute period in the Sunday worship service. Prayers were always limited to members, their friends and families, and their physical needs.
- The church had no clarity as to why it existed. There was no vision, no mission, and no purpose.
- The members idolized another era. All of the active members were over the age of 67 the last six years of the church. And they all remembered fondly, to the point of idolatry, was the era of the 1970s. They saw their future to be returning to the past.
- The facilities continued to deteriorate. It wasn’t really a financial issue. Instead, the members failed to see the continuous deterioration of the church building. Simple stated, they no longer had “outsider eyes.”
Though this story is bleak and discouraging, we must learn from such examples. As many as 100,000 churches in America could be dying. Their time is short, perhaps less than ten years.
What do you think of the autopsy on this church? What can we do to reverse these trends?
Posted on April 24, 2013
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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473 Comments
I think # 8 …. praying together is the glue and backbone of any strong church. You can have all the programs in place, but a praying church is a staying church.
Thank you for your message. Our “prayer meeting” was so dead last night. I see our small group growing more and more dead. Even when I am cooking dinner and inviting people over, they don’t show up. Where is the heart for God, and his service? We do go out and knock on doors and continue to try to work with the community, but not sure why we are so dead?
Hi Thom,
Thanks for your insight and in particular, your honesty and grace in which you present your observation.
I too, travel extensively in support of local churches and elder ship boards / pastoral search committees, and can concur with your findings. Whilst everyone is entitled to voice their perspective in response to your findings, I think one should always be aware that the hallmark of Christ’s presence was life. Fundamentally, when ones focus and activities are directed inwards, a body becomes moribund and autolysis begins.
The churches primary responsibility is reconciliation, and as Psalm 127 outlines, it begins first with you and I, then the Family, Church and City. Where we as individuals cease to grow daily in our relationship with Christ, the church (as a a group of individuals), has ceased to be salt and light in the community.
Whatever opinion we as Church members and fellow Christians have on the topic, we are all duty bound to take personal responsibility to grow. Sadly, when ones memories replace ones vision for the lost humanity which we are called to serve, the Church loses its anointing, strength, and is bound to the traditions of grinding out an existence just like Samson. Sadly, Samson thought he could “go out” as before, but God had left him. I don’t believe God needs to withdraw from us, we often times, withdraw from him.
The good news is, Samson’s hair began to grow and he was more effective in his last mission, than he was in all the years prior to that fall from grace. So “come on” pastors, leaders and fellow Christians, return back to the author of life himself, and lets build with fellow builders the glorious church.
Hi I don’t wanna tell you my name but I live in Florida. I was raised in a holiness church that ran maybe 75 people on Sunday morning, as an adult all the churches I’ve been in have only ran 75-100 people. I’m now in a church running about 130-150. I believe they are a wonderful couple, ( the pastors) , young and on fire. But I also believe they are aspiring to be a mega church, reaching the heights of ” Christian tv” . I’m not really big on , I say sarcastically, ” Christian tv”‘ . They are nothing but godless entertainers…I.e.( wannabe) pastors of LA. Biggest bunch of mess I ever saw. I will never listen to Ditrieck Haddon again…I feel his listeners believed he was truly committed to Christ. After seeing this I doubt his relationship is genuine. We are not suppose to be ” having what p diddly has” which was said by one of the pla’s. Jesus NEVER laid up things on earth, nor did he seek his name be known. That’s so prevelant and sad. I’m not saying my pastors are like that yet. I’m trying to get rooted and grounded in a God driven church and not a 10 thousand member circus. I want a pastor who when I pass away can give my children words of comfort and help my family celebrate my life not his associate to the associates associates pastors. I love my church the praise and worship is awesome, but I also see where they are trying to go..and I’m uneasy. We have churches in town that have 3 Sunday morning services. That’s ridiculous. I’ve been at this church since April 2013 and its nov2013. I’ve shaken my pastors hand maybe 5 times. I go every Sunday morning. We don’t have Sunday evening service. I’ve spoken to the pastors wife 3 times…in 6 months. I’m not trying to make this about me, I’m voicing to outsider what I’m feeling and someone who sees these things and not asking for an opinion just a little guidance. Let me say this I went to see a mega church pastor about 10 years ago…I was very sick, I attended a small church that I loved,and went to see this guy with some friends…what a joke…I told my pastor I was going to see him. She said ok. I got to the church a lady met me at the door with a big drooping gold chain and said we will have someone lead you to an overflow room. I was disappointed , but not showing it. My friends had gotten separated from my husband and I , so they were in a different overflow room. A guy comes in and says hi everyone get up follow me, walk fast, so we did. Halfway down the hall he stops my husband and I and says not you two, them, speaking of the rest of the group. So we went back to the room and began watching him on big screen, a few minutes later another person comes to the door and says follow me, there are two seats in the back. We did and as soon as we sat down a lady motioned to us to two seats in front, I was four pews from the altar…I looked this mega pastor eye to eye…yep he preached the same message he always preached on tv…what I’m about to tell you blows people’s minds when I tell them…it was end of service, he said anyone who needs prayer and miracle and you have 1000.00 dollars put your money or check in the air and come to the front…I didn’t have a thousand dollars, but I was definitely sick. Then as that line filled up and ushers took the money, the mega man says if you need prayer or miracle and you have 500.00 dollars put your money in the air and the ushers began to take that money up, so he says if you have 50.00 dollars and you need prayer or miracle put your money in the air, the ushers will come take your money and you can come get in line. I was stunned, they never showed that part of the service on tv, and I know because I watched it when they aired it. I have NEVER watched that fake mega tv wanna be again…and by the way there was a little lady sitting beside my husband who put an offering of 5.00 dollars in a envelope and put in the plate…an usher literally gave it back and said we can’t take this five dollars it’s not enough money..at that we left. I laid down in the seat of my car and cried all the way home which was 2 hours away. My pastor called me the next day and asked how it went. I asked if I could come to her house she said yes…I apologized after I told her and asked her forgiveness…she said you didn’t do anything wrong,you had to see for your self…and believe me I did and will never forget it…I recently found out he was on trinity crying about how he was going under and he’s lost his spots on tbn… A big DUH there…this may be a joke to them but God doesn’t play. I don’t feel sorry for him, he’s reaping what he sowed…that’s why I’m uneasy about mega wanna bees …thank you for your time.
Mark: In reply I have to ask where Christ is when someone says it is unfortunate that I am over 50.
Fortunately, I attend a church where people of all ages are encouraged both young and old.
I actually first saw this in print somewhere else some time ago, and see it happening in our rural Virginia county. My husband has pastored in this area for 21 years with the exception of two years in seminary and two years on the foreign mission field as part of his degree. Both churches where he pastored have grown, I believe, because God honors a heart devoted to him and his people, even if we are works in progress ourselves. My husband does not prefer conflict but realizes as a leader he must keep “advancing the Kingdom” at the forefront and always preach JESUS even if that creates conflict! We must pray that members of these dying churches will have ears to truly hear ! We recently moved into a new building and are now heading towards 500 in attendance, no small feat for a county of 28,001. Pray for us as we now hope to cross racial barriers even more than we do now. Thanks, Mr. Rainer. I appreciate all of your work and research in church growth.
How do you convince a church that it is dying when they say “we’ve been here (low attendance) and survived without changing anything, why should we change….”?
I have read some good comments recently from Ken and Barry. As I stated last week in my own comment, this culture is a BUSY culture. I have friends with kids and their excuse is they are too tired when Sunday comes along. People spend the week full with activities, events, entertainment, and work. We enjoy the worldly things. To obtain the worldly possessions, we intensely focus on work. Two salaries is not even enough. The church is simply not the priority in the American and European cultures. I can not think of a solution to change a culture. The only thing I can think of is to keep pressing on. Pressing on towards the trophy in heaven. As Ken stated the church has to stay centered on Christ and the Gospel. As soon as Jesus is not the center a church will fall apart.
One other reason people leave is that some churches, especially smaller churches, have members, or even pastors that make assumptions of church goers. If a person does not join groups or participate in many activities they sort of leave that person out. I am sorry to write that there is almost a click like feeling in some smaller churches. Some people take longer than others to join and some people may need to just take spiritual nourishment for a longer time than others before they join in. Churches should be a place of refuge for the broken, not a place where your activity level makes you popular.
What a great article. I have shared these thoughts with the congregation to which I have been Pastoring now for over 3 years. When I first arrived average attendance was 55-60 on Sunday mornings. In the past three years this church family has had a great outward focus and God’s blessings have been seen. Sunday morning services now range between 100-120 and in the last three years membership has grown approx 75% with new people and families attending on a weekly basis. If a church does not evangelize, it will eventually fosilize. I once read that if we become focussed on the color of carpets and hymnal selection instead of reaching the lost then we will become, “Keepers of the Christian aqairium instead of fishers of men.” Thanks for sharing and let’s always remember that the message of the gospel needs never to be changed, however; it’s delivery can. So, let’s learn from this post and get out and fulfill the great commission that Christ has entrusted to all God’s children. Thanks for allowing me to share.