What a big difference a region makes.
Or use to make.
I served as pastor of four churches, and three of them were in the Bible Belt. One was not. It was my favorite.
The Bible Belt refers to that region of the southeastern and south-central United States where church attendance has been higher historically, and where biblical values are more closely aligned with cultural values.
But the buckle of the Bible Belt is coming off. That means the entire belt will soon fall off. And it is happening rapidly.
There are thousands of churches in the Bible Belt. Sadly, too many of them are not adjusting to the changing realities of the area. They still act like it’s 1975. Here’s why:
- They don’t recognize the decline in cultural Christianity. They refuse to admit the world has changed around them. And they are often angered when someone suggests they make methodological and stylistic changes.
- They have many “church rules.” The church rules could be related to attire worn on Sunday, or times of worship, or inconsequential polity issues. The point is they do things like they did 40 years ago, and wonder why those on the outside are not interested in their churches.
- They have leaders who have never led in a highly unchurched mission field. Of course, the problem is that the mission field around them is growing increasingly unchurched. Birmingham and Nashville, in that regard, are looking more like Spokane and Boston.
- They confuse traditions with truth. That is a dangerous reality. When our church members equate biblical teachings with some of the bylaws and processes of the church, the congregation is in big trouble.
- They do outreach the way they’ve always done it. So if Tuesday night visitation was effective in 1975, it should be effective in 2016.
- They have significant conflict due to frustration. A number of the leaders and members of these churches can’t understand why and how things have changed so much. They want their old church back, but it’s not coming back. Their frustration can lead to conflict that exacerbates their other problems.
- They are very slow to respond. Their internal culture moves at a much slower pace than the community around them. If they do respond to an opportunity, they might be five years late. Or ten. Or twenty.
- They have significant facility challenges. Many of these churches were built for one big crowd one day a week one hour a week. They might have old and dated education and recreation facilities as well. Some of them are in worship centers with a capacity multiple times their actual attendance. They can have significant unused space and deferred maintenance. A lot of their funds go to keep the lights on.
Many of you readers are in churches in the Bible Belt. I would love to hear your perspectives. Of course, I am always happy to hear from any of you who take time to read this blog.
Posted on October 31, 2016
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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199 Comments
This situation is all the more tragic, given the awesome resources available (spiritual and otherwise) to churches here in the Bible Belt to really be salt and light in our communities. Much of the blame can be laid at the feet of us laymen, who crave and thirst for our careers, possessions, and hobbies as much, or more so, than the things of Christ. Rather than lead the way, we’re often in the way. Until we men start wanting to lead ourselves, families, and churches toward authentic spiritual health, this crisis will only worsen.
My wife and I belong to a church of 70-80 that used to have over 100 avg 8-10 years ago (before we moved to this town). We have many elderly which we love dearly but feel we are spiraling quickly down. Our mission giving to our cooperative program has gone from 8% to 1% due to financial constraints. If other giving was going to some form of local outreach, I wouldn’t have as big of a problem as I do… hence we are just giving to keep doors open…(bills and salaries)…,help!?
I agree with your assessment. Most of my ministry experience to this point has been in county seat “First” churches, the newest of which is 126 years old. God has given me a burden for these legacy congregations, and I love them. However, the challenges that you list are very real and often crippling. I’m a minister of music, but I have experience with the administrative side as well, especially in facilities management. An oft-recurring conversation involves the financial impact of building a few facility. Nearly everyone in older Bible Belt churches agree that our buildings are too big and cumbersome. We know that a new structure would be more efficient. But, most of our old buildings have been paid off for decades. In many small towns, the real estate isn’t worth much. Thus, the thought of starting over with a new building is overwhelming, and the acquisition of debt seems unwise. Though it might not be true when calculated over 50 or 100 years, it seems cheaper and more fiscally responsible to continue the upkeep and utility bills on the old structures we currently have. It’s a tough call that many legacy churches have to make every time the annual budget is revisited.
I attend a church in the heart of Oklahoma City, part of the “Bible belt.” While I agree with your article, I do think the tide is turning very slowly. The church I attend is just a “baby” church, planted in the heart of a very diverse area on the brink of restoration. I say this because Oklahoma City as a whole has been on a path toward restoration over the past decade. The old downtown area, now Bricktown, is hopping place in comparison to what it was 20 years ago. The midtown and uptown areas are seeing the old made new in many ways, thanks to those in their 20s and 30s for seeing the potential in the old, dilapidated to the new, urban rustic. All that to give you a backdrop of what I’m seeing in my church… We value community and allow time for conversation to meet new people. We don’t meet just to meet, we gather with purpose. And we’re just trying to BE the Church (not just do church or have church) the very best way we know how by getting involved with our community. What does that look like? Well, sometimes we help with the “uptown cleanup” and pick up trash. Sometimes we open the doors of our church for “open streets” and serve lemonade to passers by. Sometimes we attend a football game or a soccer game for a school in our community, even though we don’t really know any of the players, simply because they need support from their community. Sometimes we raise money for band programs or athletic programs for schools in our community because they’re severely under-funded. Anyway, I’m getting long-winded. I just wanted you and others reading this blog that not ALL churches in the Bible-belt are dying on the vine. Some, like mine, are small but mighty. We seek to serve others in hopes that they might like to know more about why we do what we do: Jesus. In the even I’ve intrigued you or others, I attend Oklahoma City Community Church under the leadership of Tim Mannin. http://www.okccommunitychurch.com Our story of how we came to be is on the website, including pictures of our restored building that we’ve called home for a short 11 months. And there are also stories of how God has moved among the people in our church to relentlessly pursue who He has called them to be. I hope this is just the beginning of change in our so-called “Bible-belt.”
I’m curious, what are you going to do when the community doesn’t want your church involved? If you think the church is defined by community involvement, what happens when the community scorns you or even persecutes you?
I believe the Bible says that we should rejoice when we are persecuted for His Name’s sake. I live in Oklahoma City also…Oklahoma is a very poor state and we have many inner city schools and communities in need. This church body is ministering to its community which I believe is the exact ministry Christ encouraged all believers to participate in. If you give so much as a cup of water in His Name, it will not go unrewarded.
How can you give a cup of water in His Name if your not intentionally sharing the Gospel? What’s the point of sending someone to hell well fed?
The fact is a lot of the “ministering” that churches do these days is just for the purpose of making the church members feel good.
We never push our way in; we show up when invited. We don’t show up in our Christian t-shirts with our Bibles in hand; we just show up and be kind and show love and serve.
This is less about “our church” and more about being (acting) like THE Church, meaning loving God and loving our neighbor. We love our neighbors through acts of service and showing up when others haven’t or won’t.
Brenda, thank you for your kind words. We’re just trying to be the Church the best way we know how in hopes that we can bring life to our city.
You didn’t answer the question. First of all, I’m not sure what you’re accomplishing. Jesus never did anything without proclaiming the Word. It was never His goal to just be nice to people. In fact, He often made people mad. Second, give me one example of the New Testament church practicing community involvement. The focus of many of Paul’s letters was not getting the church into the community, but getting the community out of the church.
But the question still remains: how are you going to define yourself as a church when those people turn on you the same way they did Jesus?
Sabrina posted a link to her church’s website. Did you read their doctrinal statement? If so, what do you find objectionable about it? You keep asking her how she’s going to react under persecution. That sounds like little more than a straw man. How are YOU going to react when and if people persecute you for your faith? Peter said he was willing to follow Jesus to the death. If you’ll recall, he said it just before he denied Jesus three times.
Ken – I’m simply responding to how Sabrina defined her church. She did not define it terms of the gospel or discipleship. She defined it in terms “helping” the community in a very benign, inoffensive way that doesn’t seem to leave much room for the Gospel. She defined her church in a way that would describe the YMCA, Lion’s Club, Masons, or any civic organization.
If your church is defined by the Gospel and discipleship then the question of rejection and persecution is easy to answer. If your church is defined by community involvement, then what do you do when the community turns on you? I still have yet to hear an answer.
So I’m assuming you did not check out the link that she posted?
I would say this isn’t limited to the south. These issues are found in the north too.
We can be a little critical, at times, about some of the decisions we have seen church leadership make in the past. Great ideas 30 years ago regularly get attacked in the church. This infers that we have all the answers today. 30 years from now, I’m sure there will be those that laugh at our theater style worship spaces and such.
Excellent article!! I absolutely agree .We know that the traditions of men will make thevword of God of null effect.The ministry of Christ was always one of outside the doors!! We equip inside to do the work outside.
I have recently moved to the bible belt and I am currently enrolled in seminary. Not sure I have seen one class addressing this and As I begun my search for a church home I have observed this very mindset .
I know for one as Christians we must not stray a way from the issues of today in our churches .What better place to raise and deal with them authentically then at church.
Second heaven is not segregated and we need to all reach out to bridge that gap here earthly.We need to work together more
third. We have to long as Christians portrayed an attitude of superiority . Yes we are forgiven but we still mess up and need new mercy and extended grace.Minute by minute. Somehow. we have to convey the message the way Christ did.
Another critical point is that our churches need God to break their hearts for the lost around them once again. We have forgotten our mission and the lostness of those around us. The spirit of the church is missing! We go through the motions, but for what? What does it all mean? I am a missionary overseas and when we were searching for team mates for our ministry, we could see a big difference in churches that took their mission to a lost world serious. They were more vibrant and alive with a wonderful spirit and excitements! Their focus was outward instead of inward, so internal strife and problems were much more minimal. Praise God for those churches!
I believe much of the decline is a result in our Country’s leaders and their views–the Democratic liberal progressive “world” view has no room for Christianity. If we change our leaders, we change the views of the people toward the gospel. It’s time we call it for what it is.
People get the government they deserve. The fact is we have liberal leaders because that’s who we keep electing. We are fast becoming a post-Christian society and longing for the good ol’ days is not going to change that. The New testament church did not waste time their complaining about secular leaders, they simply focused on their mission regardless of who was the king.
My wife is a political scientist, and I love what she says: “Politics is a reflection of our culture.” Francis Schaeffer warned about this more than thirty years ago after the 1980 elections. He agreed that the conservative victories were good, but he said the real problem was the humanistic worldview that sees people as the center of all things instead of God. He warned that a conservative brand of humanism would ultimately fare no better than liberal humanism, and I think these last 30 years have proven him correct.
“Bible-belt” congregations do have issues–and these issues must be addressed quickly. I’ve been privileged to be in several large non-Bible Belt congregations, but spent a lot of my years in the Bible Belt. There are striking and astounding differences in the “culture.” From my perspective, the “Bible belt” needs to realize the culture has shifted, and the “church” as an institution no longer carries the cultural weight it once had.
You are on target, Phil.
The Bible belt has been hit harder by the decline in Cultural Christianity because that is where Cultural Christianity was most prevalent. However, it is unrealistic to think that the church can replace those people. When a large number of people leave because they were never believers in the first place they’re not going to be replaced by simply modernizing your programs or facilities.
Though I agree with some of your points, why is it that the church must conform to the world rather than the world conforming to the church? Why is the word not enough? The literature available to Sunday school is laughable in most cases due to laziness of the teachers. I teach word for word from the original and lose the majority of this group you say we are not reaching.
Thank you Thom for your insightful article on the church and challenges faced by congregations in the Bible Belt. I pastors 4 churches in Georgia before moving to Massachusetts to serve a church. I’ve been at this church in New England 13 years. The difference is stark. Three of those churches in Georgia still felt people would come to them. They didn’t need to do a lot of outreach. All 3 have seen declines. New England is very challenging. Yet those who come to church come on purpose. They want to worship the Lord and serve. They get it In terms of building relationships with people to share Christ or disciple believers. We face challenges but the church isn’t tied to traditions that no longer work. There is freedom to try new things to reach our community that wasn’t always there in the Georgia churches. Thanks again for a great article
Blessings, Phil.