Any healthy church must have some level of inward focus. Those in the church should be discipled. Hurting members need genuine concern and ministry. Healthy fellowship among the members is a good sign for a congregation.
But churches can lose their outward focus and become preoccupied with the perceived needs and desires of the members. The dollars spent and the time expended can quickly become focused on the demands of those inside the congregation. When that takes place the church has become inwardly obsessed. It is no longer a Great Commission congregation.
In my research of churches and consultation with churches, I have kept a checklist of potential signs that a church might be moving toward inward obsession. No church is perfect; indeed most churches will demonstrate one or two of these signs for a season. But the real danger takes place when a church begins to manifest three or more of these warning signs for an extended period of months and even years.
- Worship wars. One or more factions in the church want the music just the way they like it. Any deviation is met with anger and demands for change. The order of service must remain constant. Certain instrumentation is required while others are prohibited.
- Prolonged minutia meetings. The church spends an inordinate amount of time in different meetings. Most of the meetings deal with the most inconsequential items, while the Great Commission and Great Commandment are rarely the topics of discussion.
- Facility focus. The church facilities develop iconic status. One of the highest priorities in the church is the protection and preservation of rooms, furniture, and other visible parts of the church’s buildings and grounds.
- Program driven. Every church has programs even if they don’t admit it. When we start doing a ministry a certain way, it takes on programmatic status. The problem is not with programs. The problem develops when the program becomes an end instead of a means to greater ministry.
- Inwardly focused budget. A disproportionate share of the budget is used to meet the needs and comforts of the members instead of reaching beyond the walls of the church.
- Inordinate demands for pastoral care. All church members deserve care and concern, especially in times of need and crisis. Problems develop, however, when church members have unreasonable expectations for even minor matters. Some members expect the pastoral staff to visit them regularly merely because they have membership status.
- Attitudes of entitlement. This issue could be a catch-all for many of the points named here. The overarching attitude is one of demanding and having a sense of deserving special treatment.
- Greater concern about change than the gospel. Almost any noticeable changes in the church evoke the ire of many; but those same passions are not evident about participating in the work of the gospel to change lives.
- Anger and hostility. Members are consistently angry. They regularly express hostility toward the church staff and other members.
- Evangelistic apathy. Very few members share their faith on a regular basis. More are concerned about their own needs rather than the greatest eternal needs of the world and community in which they live.
My list is not exhaustive. You may have some items you could add. Have you ever been a part of an inwardly obsessed church? What signs were evident that led you to know the church was inwardly obsessed? Do you affirm some of the items on my list?
Posted on May 2, 2012
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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72 Comments
I fully agree with all of your ten points. I would probably add Turf Wars/control of areas of church life.
Sam –
Good to hear from you friend. That Dr. Rainer at Beeson Divinity School was a much younger man!
Pastor Bobby –
Good word of exhortation.
Great article! Will definitely share this with our Long Range Planning Team. To my fellow pastors, dont let this list discourage you. Use it to motivate, educate, and evaluate.
Thom,
Your article hit it on the head. I see your list happening in most churches. I heard a professor at Beeson Divinity School (Dr. Rainer) say that evangelism is not complete until the individual is fully involved in the ministry of the church. To me that means we are to evangelize those outside God’s will, nurture them in God’s love, train them in God’s Word, and commission them to do God’s work. If pastors and staff were more tuned to this idea, then maybe they would not be so inward. I know, however, that change comes slowly, but as that same professor once said, “If you are through changing, you are through.”
Tim Patrick –
Feel free to use it with attribution.
Others –
There are some really great insights by so many of you.
Another one for your consideration: a growing staff whose roles are never actually explained, much less justified.
Powerful point.
I recently was asked to resign from a church that exhibited all 10 of these characteristics. I had no intention of leaving, but the key influencers told me that they had no intention of following my leadership and that it was time for me to leave.
I appreciate your prayers as I’m looking for a new (and healthy) church to serve.
Warning signs are just that, it is a warning of upcoming catastrophe if whole sale changes are not made. Most of the warning signs come from the consumerism, materialistic mind set we have accepted from the culture. This is due to not teaching and applying the Financial Biblical Principles found in His Word. We have been called to be God’s managers of His resources and we have to understand this first if we are to overcome the warning signs in the church.
If you don’t believe this look at the giving across the evangelical churches. We give 0.2 more than the average american. Yet we claim to be a giving community until you see what we are spending the gifts on. Thom makes this clear that we are an entitlement, selfish group that takes care of ourselves to have all the creature comforts; then if we have some funds left over then we consider helping our neighbors.
God gave us 2 commandments which was to love the Lord and then to love others by putting others first over ourselves. So my question to us is are we Seeking First the Kingdom and loving the loveless people? If not now would be a time to reconsider your purpose.
I’ve been doing this for twent-five years, and when I read things like your post my heart breaks. Ministry in one of these churches can be overwhelmingly brutal. But the Lord who called you is faithful. Hang in there.
Dr. Rainer,
I am a pastor sitting in the office of a traditional SBC church, where I have served for two years, looking at my copy of Breakout Churches, a bunch of Ed Stetzer books, and copies of church growth books that were printed by the slaughter of a forest of trees. I circled more than three of the 10 things you listed, and after two years of fighting the people tooth and nail, I am trying to decide whether or not to get out.
I am a graduate of SEBTS. I have read countless things from yourself and others, and I have to ask you a question. Do you hold hope for traditional SBC churches at all? I mean these 10 things are 90 percent of our churches. In the past two years we have baptized 25 people, yet the anger, hostility, and inward focus are still there. Some days it seems rather hopeless…
It’s very difficult (I’m finding) to change the culture of an “inwardly focused church”. Any suggestions?
Dr. Rainer – you read my mind before I was able to find a pen and paper. Thanks for all the research and diggin you put into this article.