Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 29

Pastoral Whiplash Syndrome: Five Causes

The metaphor has changed. For most of my ministry, we often referred to the up and down of pastoral ministry as a roller coaster. It made sense. One day the pastor will celebrate five new believers in Christ. The next day the pastor is met by a long-term church member who is leaving the church because she is not getting fed (I really loathe that excuse to leave.).

Today, the metaphor is whiplash, a sudden and dramatic jolt from very good to very bad or vice versa. In one hour, the pastor gets a nice email from someone who visited the church to a not-so-nice email from a man who is resigning his leadership position in the church. 

The roller coaster metaphor was apt when these changes happened from week to week, or on occasions, day to day. 

The whiplash metaphor best fits today, because pastors typically have their emotions jerked around a few times a day. 

What has happened? If we can understand this issue more deeply, we might be able to save some pastors from depression, resigning too quickly, or even suicide. 

At this point, we can identify some of the causes of the pastoral whiplash syndrome. But we need to do a much better job of helping pastors deal with this harsh reality. Here are five of most common reasons for the new reality of pastoral whiplash syndrome: 

1. Instantaneous communication. When I first started in pastoral ministry, the only way to get a hold of me was by letter or by landline phone. I didn’t even have voicemail at first. The only way I would know to answer the phone if I was at home and heard the phone ring. I believe some church members and other critics would think very hard before they wrote a letter or made a telephone call. Today, communication is instantaneous, and the methods of communication are too numerous to name. Many people contact pastors before they give it a second thought. Such is the reason pastors have encountered so much thoughtless communication. 

2. Public communication. There are a lot of cowards on keyboards these days. They will post something on social media because they have an audience. They think they have influence because they got three likes from people who did not read the post. It is shameful how many people post negative things about a pastor or a church without talking to the pastor first. For many church members, Matthew 18 has been ripped from the Bible.

3. Church members with a consumer mentality. I have observed this trend growing consistently over the years. More church members worship the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I instead of seeking the good of others in the church. They are more concerned about their personal preferences than being obedient to God’s commands to serve and to be last.

4. Unregenerate church members.  Our team at Church Answers has been conducting the same survey among church members since 1996. It is fairly comprehensive with 160 questions. Because we have done so many of these surveys over almost 30 years, it is one of the best longitudinal surveys on local congregations. It is both amazing and disheartening to follow the erosion of belief among active church members. Many of them deny the deity of Christ. Many of them cannot affirm that Jesus is the only way of salvation. They are not likely Christians, because they refuse to affirm who Jesus is. We call them “unregenerate church members,” which literally means they have not been born again. As the number of unregenerate church members increase, the more likely these non-Christians will not act like a Christian to the pastor. We also call these church members “cultural Christians.”

5. COVID. The pandemic accelerated and exacerbated all these trends. Pastors are confronted with the challenging reality that the problems have become as much as fivefold greater since the pandemic swept across the world. This change at warp speed was not limited to churches, but there is no doubt that churches felt it especially poignantly.

I recently spoke with a pastor who told me that he is having a difficult time emotionally dealing with the issues noted above. This particular pastor is questioning his calling. My prayer for pastors is that they will reaffirm their calling. My prayer is that God will intervene in a mighty way in their lives.

Roller coasters can be a challenge. But whiplash is unspeakably painful.

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It’s Time to Release Churches from the Myth of Infinite Expansion

Every church has limiting factors. No church grows exponentially every year. Infinite expansion isn’t possible. Even the largest churches stay at the top of the list for only about twenty years. Each generation has its own group of biggest congregations or fastest-growing congregations. Compare any lists of the largest churches from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, or 2000s and you’ll find different churches leading the way. By virtue of their size, big churches are constantly shifting. Indeed, some of the largest churches from twenty and thirty years ago no longer exist today. They grew rapidly, declined just as quickly, and eventually disbanded.

No church should die, whether the congregation is large or small. God wants every church to be biblically faithful and grow both numerically and spiritually. The myth of exponential growth has its roots in the attention garnered by churches that grow rapidly over several years. Other pastors examine these growth models and try to emulate them. Truth be told, these churches often flourish because of demographic factors that don’t necessarily transfer to different locales. Maybe they’re in a fast-growth corridor of a large metropolitan area. What people tend not to examine quite as much is how many of these churches fade from the growth lists just as quickly as they arrived.

Rapid, exponential growth is impossible to sustain in the long term.

The distinction may seem nuanced, but there is a difference between the mentality of multiplying disciples and growing a large church. There will always be an attraction to rapidly growing institutions, organizations, and movements. I cannot fault people for gravitating toward something that’s growing. However, every case of exponential growth—whether in business, religion, or the academy—eventually reaches an inflection point, a pivotal moment when the organization must make fundamental changes in its operations if it wants to continue. Consider Sears, Roebuck and Co., once the largest retailer in the United States. Their exponential growth began to slow in the 1980s, reached an inflection point with the emergence of Walmart on the national stage, followed by a rapid decline until the company faced Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018.

It’s exciting when a church grows from twenty members to forty in one year; then from forty to eighty the following year, and from eighty to 160 the year after that. But, ongoing exponential growth is an unachievable goal for a local church. We should celebrate this growth but not expect it to continue to accelerate year after year. Churches tend to get into trouble when they construct campuses, build infrastructure, and hire personnel with the expectation of ongoing exponential growth.

You will need to be creative to reach your maximum capacity.

Let’s assume your church can overcome leadership lids and systems limitations. What is left are the physical constraints of the campus. Your parking lot can only hold so many vehicles. The square footage of your facility can hold only so many people. You can only put so many butts in the pews of the sanctuary.

There is a point at which the physical constraints of a church campus become a significant problem. For example, a church with a thousand-seat worship space and a parking lot that holds fifty cars will struggle because of the mismatch between its interior space and exterior footprint. Some urban churches have little to no parking, but mass transit enables people to get to the church with relative ease. Most churches, however, are not near mass transit stops.

How can you maximize your campus without feeling the burden of infinite expansion?

Churches will average 2 to 2.5 people per vehicle. If your parking lot is correctly sized, you will have twice as many seats in your building as spaces for vehicles in your lot. In other words, a worship space for three hundred requires about 150 parking spaces. If you can’t create enough parking, multiple services can solve the problem. Your worship space may never be full, but that only becomes an issue if you drop below 40 percent capacity.

For purposes of discussion, let’s assume a neighborhood church wants to grow to six hundred people on a Sunday morning, but they have only 150 parking spaces and a worship space with four hundred seats. This church can achieve its goal by expanding to three worship services.

8:00 a.m. Sunday worship: 150 people on campus occupying 75 parking spaces

9:30 a.m. Sunday worship: 200 people on campus occupying 100 parking spaces

11:00 a.m. Sunday worship: 250 people on campus occupying 125 parking spaces

Will some services feel a little light throughout the year in a worship space of four hundred seats? Yes, but that’s not a huge deterrent for guests. Will the parking lot get crowded some Sundays when turnover between services doesn’t happen quickly? Yes, but the energy of a full parking lot will outweigh the negative impact of not finding a spot immediately. Does this church need clear signage and a lot of guest, handicapped, and senior parking? Yes! But these issues are quickly resolved with some budget funds and sweat equity.

If the church is willing to give up on the idea that everyone must be together in the same service, or that the worship space must be completely full, then the parking lot issues—though challenging—can be overcome. If this church were to add a Sunday evening service and another service during the week, even with only 150 parking spaces, they could grow to one thousand in attendance. Remember, no church can grow exponentially every year, but established churches can grow much larger than many envision with some sacrifice and a little creativity.

I examine this myth and more in my latest book. The Surprising Return of the Neighborhood Church just released! If you lead or attend a neighborhood church or want to know more about this potential movement, you can pick up a copy now.

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8 Things I’d Love to Receive for Pastor Appreciation Month

Each year, I post on my personal site a list of possible ways to show your pastor gratitude during October (Pastor Appreciation month). Even with that list in mind, here are some things I would love to receive from members if I were pastoring again: 

Regular, intentional prayer. In our Church Answers’ Know Your Church report, our surveys over the years have indicated that many church members do not pray regularly for their pastors. We very much need and appreciate the prayers of God’s people, though.Sacrificial service. We call church members to serve God through the church, but it still remains the case that a few people do most of the work. Even one member who was to say to me, “Pastor, I’m stepping up to the plate to serve,” would make my day.Listening ears. Here, I’m thinking about the preaching event. I know it’s not always easy to pay attention (I struggle with it, too, when I’m listening), but it really is exciting when you sense from the pulpit that members are tuned in to the Word.Honest, helpful, face-to-face critique. My point with this request is simple: I don’t mind critique that helps me grow as a preacher and pastor; what I struggle with is critique that is uninformed, unkind, and sometimes unspoken (unspoken to me, that is, but not to others in the church). If you have concerns, give me the gift of speaking the truth in love.Global passion. The Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 demands that we make disciples of all the nations, yet 4 billion+ people still have little access to the gospel. Tell me (and show me) that the Lord has grabbed your heart for the nations, though, and I’ll rejoice. I want us to send our best to the nations.Humble patience. I’m not perfect—and neither is any other pastor I know. We all make mistakes, and we don’t always lead in the best way. To be honest, I still realize the need for more growth even at this stage of my ministry. Your ongoing patience, coupled with loving, godly critique when needed, is encouraging.Recorded testimonies. If you really want to bless me, record in 2-3 minutes the testimony of your conversion and send it to me. I don’t want to miss the stories of God’s work among the people He has placed in His local body.Evangelistic, outwardly-focused fervor. You may be aware of Church Answers’ The Hope Initiative —a simple strategy to turn a church outward a few people at a time. One of my joys is communicating with Hope Initiative pastors overwhelmed by the growing zeal of their members to reach their community. Our hearts leap when God’s people get the Great Commission vision.

Laypersons, which of these might you give to your pastor next month? Pastors, what would you add to this list?

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The Church That Could in a Town of 714 People

Bardwell Baptist Church is located in Bardwell, Kentucky, a town of 714 people. Twenty years ago in 2000, the population was 799. Bardwell is, for the most part, an unknown town in a rural area of Kentucky. 

But God knows where Bardwell is. 

Jason Burnett became the pastor in 2021. Worship attendance was around 100 when he arrived, down from a remarkable peak of 200 in the year 2000. 

The church has a number of members who are ready for God to do something in their church. Indeed, the church called Jason as its pastor with a keen awareness that they had to reach people with the gospel. 

A little over a month ago, the church began the 30-day journey through The Hope Initiative (www.HopeInitiative.com). 

You must hear what God has done in that church in that small town. Chuck Lawless conducted a brief ten-minute interview with Jason. 

Watch this video and be amazed. It is nothing short of a miracle. 

If God can do such a powerful work in this church in a non-growing, rural town, He can do that same work in your church. 

What an amazing God we serve.

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When a Friendship Falls Apart: Finding God’s Path for Healing, Forgiveness, and (Maybe) Help Letting Go

Even in the closest friendships, sometimes hurt happens. Misunderstanding. Distance. Disagreement. Even betrayal and deceit. Perhaps you have experienced this kind of anguish, this kind of brokenness, firsthand. The loss can be staggering, a blow not only to your happiness and way of life but also to your confidence and sense of identity. The pain may haunt you for years to come.

Friendships are precious to me—worth fighting for, praying about, and working through. But sometimes, in spite of my best (yet imperfect) efforts, I’ve had friendships falter and fail. In my experience, friendships fall apart in different ways, for many reasons:

Maybe you entered different seasons of life, and you no longer had much in common.

Maybe one big, awful misunderstanding took a catastrophic turn—un-take-back-able words, dramatic door slams—and almost overnight the friendship was severed.

Maybe hurt feelings and unhealthy patterns snuck in over time, small fissures in your trust that eventually widened into a chasm that feels uncrossable.

Or maybe nothing happened at all—and that’s the problem. You just . . . drifted. Stopped calling, stopped making time for each other. One day you looked up to find an ocean between you.

However brokenness entered your friendship, it’s a wound. A loss. And the loss of a friendship is often accompanied by a host of unwanted companions: insecurity, anger, isolation, bitterness, guilt, regret. The closer the friendship, the greater the pain. It’s a lonely loss, a private grief, like a divorce no one can see. No one’s going to send cards or flowers. Hallmark doesn’t make a Friendship Breakup sympathy card; churches don’t offer Friendship Loss Support Groups. It’s not something we can announce on social media, seeking support or prayers; in fact, chances are, the broken friendship was intertwined with a larger group of friends, so it’s tricky to talk about it anywhere, to anyone.

And when the relationship is between two faithful Christians, two people seeking to honor God in all they do, the pain is compounded, the fallout even more complicated. Godly friendships aren’t “supposed” to fracture, but sometimes they do. We offer our hearts in especially vulnerable ways in Christian relationships, sharing weaknesses and struggles, doubts and fears; our daily lives may be frequently interwoven through church fellowship connections. So when we can’t work things out with a Christian friend, we may experience an additional cascade of emotions: guilt, shame, doubt, isolation. To add to the convolution, we may even suffer division, misrepresentation, or misunderstanding in our mutual relationships with other believers.

Our compassionate Father knew our relationships would sometimes flounder, and in his grace, God went out of his way to include multiple examples in Scripture of believers whose friendships struggled, people like Hannah, Sarah, Rachel, David, Mary, Martha, and many others. You and I are not the first, last, or only ones to falter in friendship.

In Acts 15 we read about Paul and Barnabas, two leaders in the early church who disagreed so sharply that they ended a years-long ministry partnership. News of the split must have sent shock waves through the church. What heartache their story holds. Even Jesus, who loved perfectly, experienced broken friendships. On the night of his arrest, in his greatest moment of need, his friends fell asleep while Jesus wept alone; hours later, he was betrayed by one of his most intimate companions.

Knowing that even the most righteous of people can let one another down, God has provided encouragement and tools throughout Scripture to help us. In his pages we find counsel for handling complex dynamics with integrity and wisdom. Scripture can help us seek reconciliation and restoration when they are possible; and in relationships where those things cannot be found, the Bible guides us in seeking a sense of resolution, the resolution that comes from a clean conscience, healing, and the peace only God can give, the “peace . . . which passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7, RSV).

Let’s take our hurting hearts to the Friend who is never too busy, never insensitive, and never selfish; the Friend who hears our hearts’ cries, knows our deepest needs, and meets them perfectly—now that’s a friendship we can rely on.

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Behind the Decline: Unraveling the Forgotten Reasons of Fading Neighborhood Churches

No doubt you’ve heard the phrase, “There goes the neighborhood.” Historically, it has been associated with ethnic minorities moving into white neighborhoods. I don’t believe most people use the phrase today in such a way. However, during the civil rights movement and the following decades, many white neighborhood churches changed locations, often moving to the growing suburbs where fewer minorities lived.

For the congregations that stayed, the fracturing of the neighborhood also meant the fracturing of the church. Many neighborhood churches struggled to understand the changing demographics and failed to reach their new neighbors. Many congregations struggled to find their place in what they viewed as a fragmented world.

The mission of every church is to go into a fragmented world and share the good news of Jesus that heals the brokenness. Historically, many neighborhood churches believed their meaning and identity would shift with changing demographics. Such thinking was antithetical to the gospel. The white flight of churches was horrid, but it alone does not explain the decline of neighborhood churches. More was at play and is still affecting neighborhood churches.

A Me-First Mentality

Inward-focused churches always decline. Some more quickly than others. But spiritual navel-gazing always kills a church. People with a me-first mentality believe the church exists to meet their needs rather than a way for them to serve their community. When personal preferences are elevated above God’s mission, the church will turn inward, creating a culture of selfishness and entitlement.

The operating budget is often the first indication of inward movement, even before attendance begins to decline. When money that once was allocated for outreach evangelism shifts to ministries that serve the members, the church is moving inward. The me-first mentality can pertain to trivial matters such as the color of the paint or the carpet, or to more consequential issues such as ethnic minorities moving into the neighborhood. The result, however, is inevitably the same: An inward culture will always kill a neighborhood church.

Church Bubble Syndrome

When a church views its role as protecting members from the rough and tumble world of the surrounding community, walls will inevitably go up. Though these walls aren’t physical, they might as well be—letting certain people know they’re not welcome. And when you stop welcoming one kind of person, it becomes much easier to stop welcoming others, as well. Some neighborhood churches declined because they tried to exist for only part of the neighborhood. Ironically, most would probably say, “All are welcome!” I’ve even seen that phrase on church signs. But it doesn’t take long to figure out who is truly welcome and who is not. Church bubble syndrome limits the reach of the gospel into the surrounding community, and God will not honor churches that limit his mission.

No Expectation of Growth

No church can grow indefinitely. Even massive churches with exponential growth curves will eventually slow down. It’s a physical reality due to the size of their campuses. It’s also a statistical and sociological reality. But far too few neighborhood churches have a culture and expectation of growth. If you examine a neighborhood church in decline, you will often find a congregation with an entrenched mentality. They want the church to stay the way it is. Visitors are welcome so long as there aren’t too many at once. Growth is viewed as a risk, and new people become a threat to the ideal size of the church.

Unnoticed Demographic Mismatches

In a recent consultation with a neighborhood church, I asked the leaders what percentage of their community was ethnic minorities. Their responses varied from about 5 percent to 15 percent. When I showed them the actual statistics, they were shocked. About 45 percent of the community was African American or Hispanic.

Then I asked them which generation was the largest in their community. Every leader said Baby Boomers, though in fact the Boomers were fourth, behind the Gen Xers, Millennials, and Generation Z. They had a hard time believing me.

“Where do you go? With whom do you hang out?” I asked. They all admitted their worlds were quite small, even within the neighborhood. They hung out at the same places and with the same people. These church leaders had not noticed the demographic change in their community because they unintentionally avoided it. Though they were not opposed to reaching a new segment of people, their patterns of living and an inward-focused church culture kept them from seeing the reality right before them.

Lack of Vibrant Prayer

One of the first books on revitalizing neighborhood churches, Basic Communities: A Practical Guide for Renewing Neighborhood Churches by Thomas Maney, was written in 1984. It was way ahead of its time. Maney correctly identifies prayer as the key to neighborhood church renewal. He notes that prayer prompts a congregation to move from indifference to enthusiasm, from being bored to being engaged. Neighborhood churches in decline almost always lack vibrant prayer.

Poor Leadership Coupled with Apathy or Antagonism toward the Community

I don’t know of a neighborhood church that is reliant on the personality of a nationally known charismatic leader. Growth or decline in these churches is based on issues at the local level and not the global platform of their pastors. But every church requires leadership. The most influential leader is typically the lead or sole pastor—the one preaching during worship services.

When leaders respond poorly to the surrounding culture, the church will tend toward one of two responses: apathy or antagonism. Some pastors even encourage these responses through poor leadership. A church that doesn’t work to understand or listen to the community culture will inevitably stop caring for the neighborhood or will start hating the people of the neighborhood.

The community knows nothing about the apathetic church, while the antagonistic church is known for what they oppose. A healthy neighborhood church will be known for what they support, and will have leaders who respond graciously to changes in the local culture.

Unattractive Facilities

Some neighborhood churches seem to care very little for their campuses. They’ve gained a reputation as eyesores rather than a point of pride in the community. Too many neighborhood churches are not investing in their God-given addresses. A church campus should be the most well-kept spot in the neighborhood. Why would someone visit a church when the campus looks more like a run-down gas station than a place where the people worship Almighty God? If the members don’t care about their facility, how will they care for their neighbors?

Conversely, there are neighborhood churches that care more for their campus than they do for the surrounding community. They put up locks and chains and don’t allow any outside use of their facilities. A run-down campus is unattractive because it is an eyesore, but an inaccessible campus is unattractive because it tells the neighbors they’re not welcome.

Neighborhood churches have the potential to be both nimble and flexible. Typically, they have smaller campuses and less deferred maintenance. Whereas larger regional churches must consider a broader demographic of people from various locations, ministries at neighborhood churches can be tailored specifically to the people right around the church. In the era of waning denominational loyalty, neighborhood churches can capture people based on their local presence rather than denominational preference. Though many challenges remain for neighborhood churches, a vibrant sense of mission is just waiting to be renewed. Your location is a key asset, and the future is bright.

I believe in a neighborhood church comeback so much that I wrote a book about it. The Surprising Return of the Neighborhood Church just released! If you lead or attend a neighborhood church or want to know more about this potential movement, you can pick up a copy now.

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Four Reasons Why Church Giving Is Up While Attendance Is Down

The median attendance of a church in 2023 is 60, down from 65 in 2020. That’s the bad news. 

But giving is up. That is the good news. Giving in congregation jumped significantly, from a median of about $120,000 in 2020 to $170,000 in 2023. That is an increase of 42% over the past three years.

Thanks to the excellent ongoing research by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, we are able to see post-pandemic trends over a five-year period. 

In the midst of significant challenging news for churches, the level of giving remains remarkable. What is taking place? How is giving increasing while attendance continues to decline? As we work with churches across America, we see four compelling reasons. 

1. Online giving is the most significant reason for increased revenue in churches. The Hartford study found that the greater the usage of online giving, the higher the receipts will be in churches. It makes sense, particularly if the online giving is schedule giving, where the church member does not need reminders to give. When most churches were closed for a period during the pandemic, they were compelled to offer online giving. This issue may prove to be one of the longest-standing benefits of the pandemic for churches. 

2. Churches and church members have received significant government funding. Many churches received funding from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Employee Retention Credit (ERC). Many individuals received both direct government funding and tax credits as well. Consequently, they were able to give more to their respective churches. Most of this funding is or will be ending soon. 

3. Postponed capital projects began after the pandemic. A number of congregations planned to build or renovate facilities, but the plans were delayed by the pandemic. As the churches restart these building projects, church members are giving to fund them. Most of these building funds are new sources of income for churches. 

4. The committed core of the church has increased its giving. We conduct hundreds of interviews in the process of church consultations. A common theme from the most committed church members is their desire to help their churches financially in these times of obvious need. Many of these members see fewer attendees every Sunday, so they are compelled to give more to fund the ministries of the churches. 

Giving is up. That is the good news. But attendance is down. That is the bad news. 

In upcoming articles, we will dig more deeply into the reasons why one-third of churches are growing and defying the negative trends of church decline. These congregations provide us with both guidance and hope. But one of the greatest challenges is that church members are becoming more resistant to change. For a season after churches regathered, church members were very open to change. Now that window of opportunity has closed. 

I will have more to say about these issues later.

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The Neighborhood Church Returns: Making the Comeback a Reality

Neighborhood churches tend to be small or midsize and well-established. For years, we have dismissed the potential for a significant move of God in these churches. I believe they are primed for a comeback. They are numerous, and they are located in the heart of places with lots of people.

I believe in this comeback so much that I wrote a book about it. The Surprising Return of the Neighborhood Church just released! If you lead or attend a neighborhood church or want to know more about this potential movement, you can pick up a copy now. I wish I could write that these churches will make a comeback, but it’s still an unrealized possibility. But what might it look like if such a comeback were to occur?

The Stigma Must Become the Advantage

Some have bemoaned the “on every street corner” nature of the established church. I understand. It seems there are churches everywhere that are doing nothing. But a shift is already underway. The megachurch movement is waning. The younger generations don’t prefer the giant sanctuaries on sprawling campuses that their Boomer parents enjoyed. The neighborhood church has a long way to go before we can talk about a movement, but the stigma of small and local is fading. Smaller churches embedded in neighborhoods have a certain appeal. If these churches step up and begin to reach into their surrounding communities, that stigma might shift to an advantage.

Church Fostering Must Become More Common

We understand the term fostering in connection with children being placed with a family. It differs from adoption in that it’s not intended to be permanent. Similarly, a new movement called fostering is emerging in the world of church revitalization, as healthy churches provide people and other resources for unhealthy churches over a specified time frame—usually six months to a year. In many cases, the fostering relationship involves sending in a preacher, improving the worship ministry, and restarting programming for children. The most successful fostering relationships also include outreach into the surrounding neighborhood.

Local Pastors Must Work Together for the Kingdom

In too many communities, pastors treat their church campuses like islands instead of as interconnected outposts in a kingdom network. Pastors need to get off their islands and befriend other pastors. When pastors in a community become friends, tenures become longer, and churches stop competing and start cooperating. The comeback of neighborhood churches will hit its stride when the pastors spend more energy working together than trying to compete.

Congregants Must Expect Growth and Invite Guests

Like Jupiter and Saturn compared to Mercury and Mars, larger churches have a greater gravitational pull than smaller churches. People who are new to a community or looking for a church are likely to visit the largest church in the area, even if they don’t anticipate joining. Larger churches will attract more guests. These churches expect to grow and anticipate having new people every Sunday.

Many, if not most, smaller neighborhood churches do not have a culture or expectation of growth. And when you don’t anticipate guests or invite people to church, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Many smaller churches remain small because the people there do not desire or expect growth. This entrenched mentality creates an unhealthy comfort with smallness and even ambivalence toward any new people who might upset the comfortable environment. When neighborhood churches make a comeback, it is often preceded by a cultural shift in the church—when the people start inviting others and expecting guests.

Community Revitalization Must Become Part of the Mission

Revitalizing the church should include revitalizing the community. The way to better church health is through outward movement, not inward focus. Imagine a movement of neighborhood churches, each revitalizing a one-mile radius around their campuses. It would change the nation!

Selfless Service Must Replace Selfish Preferences

In Mark 10:35-40, when James and John ask Jesus to give them the highest places of honor in the kingdom, he tells them they have no idea what they’re asking. Greatness in God’s kingdom comes through sacrifice and service. How did Jesus serve? He gave his life! Selfish preferences are the death of selfless service. When you place your personal desires above another person’s salvation, you are putting the mission of the church in great peril. Neighborhood churches will come back when the members elevate service above preference. A revitalized church will have more going and telling and less griping and yelling.

The Church Culture Bubble Must Pop

The insular church culture bubble will pop when your church pushes outward with the gospel. The church was never designed to be a shield protecting Christians from the world in a bubble of safety. The church is a vehicle engineered by God to take people into the darkest corners of the neighborhood. It’s called the Great Commission, not the Great Avoidance. Gospel obedience compels us to go to the outcasts, the lowly, and the neglected. If you’re not willing to sit down with a homeless addict and share the gospel because of how he or she looks and smells, then we don’t believe the same gospel. Jesus doesn’t call us to serve the most deserving, but he does call us to serve the most desperate.

The Campus Must Become a Neighborhood Hub

Church facilities are one of the most expensive, yet vital, tools church leaders use to shepherd God’s people. In a North American context, buildings are important to God’s mission of expanding his kingdom. Making the church building the locus of the community should be a priority for church leaders. From a practical standpoint, the church building should be the place where the local community congregates. Uninviting church buildings make it difficult for church members to invite their friends and family to worship with them.

It’s time for the neighborhood church to make a comeback. The stigma of small churches is fading. Fostering is becoming more common. Pastors should feel free to leave the islands of their campuses and make friends. The opportunity to revitalize neighborhoods is as big as ever. The neighborhood church movement is primed for a relaunch.

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A Simple Way for Leaders to Start the Day with God

Let me be honest with you. I’m busy. Too busy, in fact. I go to bed with things to do on my mind, and I wake up with even more things to do on my mind. Somedays it feels like I’m on the proverbial hamster wheel, wearing myself out while getting nowhere. 

In the midst of my busyness, though, I’ve learned a simple way to turn my attention away from the “stuff” and toward God each morning. My most directed prayer and Bible study time is usually later in the evening, so this method is especially helpful early in the day. It doesn’t take long, but it does make a difference for me.

First, I pray the “Model Prayer” as soon as I awaken. I realize that doing so can become robotic and ritualistic, but I also agree with Al Mohler that “The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer for disciples to pray.”¹ I first started praying only the verse about temptation so I might personally fight sin each day (“And don’t let us [me] yield to temptation, but rescue us [me] from the evil one” Matt 6:13, NLT), but I’ve more recently expanded to praying the whole prayer. My mind simply moves in a healthier direction in the morning when I immediately focus on God, thank Him for His provisions, and seek His will. This step also opens the door to my praying to the Lord throughout the rest of the day. 

Second, I read a daily “Verse of the Day” that shows up in my email inbox long before I awaken. I signed up for that email because I know my tendency is to dig into my inbox before I do anything else in the morning—and that’s not a good way to start the day. I still check my email, but I look first and foremost for that day’s verse. For example, here is today’s verse as I write this post:

“I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you” (Isa 46:4).

I don’t know what I will face today, but I’m reminded powerfully that God will be with me. And, because I will leave this verse in my inbox and read it each time I check my email today, I can work on memorizing it throughout the day without really trying. It’s just a good way for me to keep turning my heart back to the Lord. 

I’m still learning every day how to walk with God, but this process at least helps me get started well each day. I pray it might help you, too. 

¹R. Albert Mohler, The Prayer That Turns the World Upside Down: The Lord’s Prayer as a Manifesto for Revolution (p. 20). HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Kindle Edition.

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Five New Challenges for the “Post-Post” Pandemic Church

We have written and presented numerous insights and information about the effects of the pandemic on churches. I even wrote a small book called The Post Quarantine Church. 

The essence of our information was straightforward: negative church trends were accelerated and exacerbated in the pandemic and for the several months after churches regathered in-person. In simple terms, declining churches typically experienced greater decline, and the relatively few growing churches experienced more modest declines. 

We are now entering a new era beyond the post-pandemic phase. We are in a “post post” pandemic era. It is significantly different than the months after churches regathered in-person. Most church leaders and members, however, have not adjusted to the rapid pace of changes accelerated by the pandemic and its aftermath. This reality can best be explained by five new challenges confronting churches today. 

1. We assume we’ve reached a new normal. The pace of change accelerated by the pandemic was so significant that we’ve hardly had time to catch our collective breath. But more cultural and technological change is on the way. We simply cannot assume that our approaches to ministry today are adequate for the tsunami of cultural change yet to come. The biblical mandates for our churches are unchangeable, but the methods we use must be prescient and wise. 

2. We continue to overly focus on the church as an organization at the expense of our mission. In many churches, we’ve had to make major financial, facility, and calendar adjustments in the post-pandemic era. In those churches, though, the focus on organizational issues has consumed our time. We often forget we have a mission to accomplish and a community to reach. 

3. We see modest evangelistic fruit as significant. One of the key indicators of our lack of missional focus is a small evangelistic harvest. Though we celebrate every person who becomes a follower of Christ, we can’t be content with anemic results. A church of 100 in attendance, for example, cannot be content with just five or six conversions a year. A church of 200 can’t be content with just ten to fifteen conversions a year. We have lowered the bar. We do not believe God can still reach many more through our churches. 

4. We don’t grasp the depth of the mental and emotional challenges of pastors. We have addressed this issue many times, and it is not going away. I grieve but, sadly, I am not surprised when I hear of another suicide by a pastor. In my forty years of ministry, I have never seen this depth of pain in so many pastors. 

5. We understand culture even less. I get it. The pace of change can best be described as a blur. Just a few years ago I would have never predicted our culture would be as unbiblical and, in many cases, anti-Christian as it is today. But this new culture is our mission field, and we must be ready to reach and minister to those in this culture. They still need Jesus. We still need to be bearers of the good news. 

The challenges can seem insurmountable. The pace of change can seem unbearable. But we serve a God who is with us always. We can indeed do all things through Christ who strengthens us. I have full confidence that God will give us and our churches everything we need to reach this new mission field that is our own community.

 

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