I have the opportunity to visit a significant number of churches as I travel. It is always fun to blog about what God is doing in different congregations. Recently, however, I felt a burden for churches that are weakening. Notice I didn’t say “shrinking.” Some of the churches that I have observed weakening actually have strong attendance numbers. The only problem is that spiritual transformation does not seem to be taking place. That is a problem that transcends attendance, budgets, or worship styles. Here are the top four ways (in my opinion) to weaken a church:
1) Remove meaning from membership. Church membership is a privilege –not a right. The church is Christ’s body, meaning that it manifests Christ to the world. That is a serious task not to be taken lightly.
That is why we require people to profess Christ as Lord and Savior before joining our churches. But is that enough? Just a short verbal ascent to faith?
In days gone by, it was common for churches to require a candidate for membership to sign a church covenant. By doing so, they were recognizing certain qualifications, expectations, commitments, and accountability attached to membership.
I believe that many churches are struggling simply because their membership is half-hearted and uncommitted. Who’s fault is that? Perhaps it is the fault of the church for letting them in without any call to commitment.
That’s why I am a proponent of membership classes in which the church has an opportunity to get to know the candidate and the candidate gets to know the church. A typical membership class will share the gospel, church mission and goals, and membership expectations.
Some may say, “you’ll scare people off that way.” Actually, I’ve found the opposite to be true. People appreciate the fact that your church takes membership seriously and that your church takes the time to explain expectations. And, as a church, it is a blessing to know that when someone joins, they are giving more than verbal ascent to membership –they are giving their commitment. After all, if you have to lower the standards to bring someone into membership; do you really want them to be a member?
2) Allow pew sitting. One of the expectations that every church should have is for every member to be a minister. That doesn’t mean every member should be preaching or teaching. Instead, each member should be aided in finding a role within the church that fits their gifting.
I have found that most of the time, the people in the pew want to do more than show up and sit –they just don’t know what to do or how to get started. Churches must be focused on creating opportunities and pathways to serve. Further, pastors and other leaders should be proactive in encouraging members to use their gifts. When the churches become comfortable with having pew-sitters, the church is in decline. Incidentally, when pastor’s ask what they can do to attract more young families in their church, my #1 answer is –give them opportunities and encouragement to practice what you preach.
3) Protect the congregation from the truth. Another factor that weakens churches is preaching and teaching that have been “scaled back” in order not to offend. Many pastors say, “my people aren’t mature enough to handle deeper theological issues” or “I’ll lose the attention of my visitors.” Such ideas are degrading to the Word of God. Pastors are called to preach the Word, not just the “safe” portions. Dumbing down the text is a violation of the charge to preach the whole counsel of truth. To do otherwise is to hide portions of the word in an effort to “protect God” from Himself. That is both arrogance and cowardice. Instead, we must believe that the Word is a double edged sword accomplishing God’s purposes –especially when it challenges minds and causes awkwardness in the hearer.
4) Build your church. I’m afraid that the reason pastors shy away from meaningful membership, expectations to serve, and bold preaching is because they are trying to build their church. The problem is that the church is not theirs –it is Christ’s church. And whether or not we agree with the ways in which He has chosen to build His church is irrelevant. We are simply stewards of the ministries He has entrusted to us under His lordship.
I’ve heard so many pastors excuse their tactics by stating that it is all about “people” -as if God isn’t interested in people. Of course we ought to pour our energy into reaching people for Christ. The real question is whether or not we will trust God’s standards or our own wisdom.
Once we settle the stewardship/lordship issue, perhaps we will get back to the task at hand. Sure, it might not look as fancy or grab as many headlines, but in the end, all that really matters is that the Head of the Church is pleased with His stewards.