Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 351

Can a Dying Church Find Life? Six Radical Steps to “Yes”

In an blogpost earlier this week, I presented the findings of my “autopsy” on a church that just closed its doors and died. I knew the church well because I had been their consultant ten years earlier. The only surprise I found was that the church kept its door open five years longer than I had anticipated.

The post generated much interest. Indeed it is still buzzing today. Many church leaders and laypersons saw early warning signs in the post that related to their own churches. Many are concerned. Many want to know if there is any hope.

The title of this post has a bit of irony. If a church is dying, it cannot then by definition find life.

I must say from a pure statistical perspective, most churches with the symptoms I noted will die within a matter of a few years. Though I don’t have hard data, I would be comfortable suggesting that the percentage exceeds 99 percent.

But among the American churches on a death march, there is that rare exception, that one in 1,000, that extraordinary situation where a church defies all the man-made odds and moves from near death to health. Those churches are rare, but they do exist.

In the midst of the gloomy news of terminal churches, I took a look at a few churches that had all the signs of impending death and then turned around to life. All of them of which I have knowledge were located in dramatically shifting demographics.

They weren’t merely churches that were unhealthy; they were dying. Even the most casual observer would have predicted the imminent demise of these congregations. They were truly sick unto death. So how did these churches do it?

Though each of the stories I examined has its own nuances, I did find some common themes. Please take careful note. My brief blogpost is not a quick-fix solution to dying churches. To the contrary, it’s the story of six radical steps taken by key members in each of the churches.

A leader must rise and be willing to lead the church toward radical transformation regardless of the personal costs to him. That leader is typically a new pastor in the church, but it does not have to be.
A significant group in the church must admit that they are desperate for help. The significance of the group could be their sheer size; for example, they could be a majority of active members. Or the significance could be the influence of those in the group rather than the number. This group must lead the church from denial to a painful awakening to reality.
That same group must confess guilt. They failed to reach the community. They held on to the idolatry of yesterday. They were only comfortable with “our kind of people.” They saw the church to be a place where their needs were met and personal preferences catered.
The group must have an utter, desperate, and prayerful dependence on God. They can no longer look at the way they’ve always done it as the path for the future. They must fall on their faces before God and seek His way and only His way.
The church must be willing to storm the community with love. The church can’t assuage their guilt by having a food and clothes pantry where community residents come to them once a week. Members must go into the community, love the unlovable, reach out to the untouchable, and give sacrificially of time, money, and heart. The community must be amazed by these church members.
The church must relinquish control. If the church reaches the community, the community will come to the church. They may be poorer. They may have different colors of skin. They may speak differently. They may have a radically different culture than members of the church. If the church is truly to reach the community, it must be joyfully willing to let the community have control of the church. This attitude is radically different than welcoming the outsiders to “our church.” It is an attitude that says it is now “your church.”

Most readers likely understand the low likelihood of such a transformation taking place. It is so rare that, when it happens, it is often given the name “miracle.”

But we serve the God of miracles. Maybe we should expect more. Maybe we should do more.

What do you think?

I Am a Church Member — Rainer on Leadership #002

Podcast Episode #002

Subscribe via iTunes

The topic of today’s episode is my new book, I Am a Church Member. The book releases on May 1, 2013, but is likely already available in most retail stores and online.

One of this book’s unique characteristics is that it was birthed out of a post here on the blog. When many people think of church membership, they may think that it just means their name is on a roll at a church. And in some faith traditions it means you were baptized or christened at that church. But it’s actually much more than that. It’s about an attitude, not an action. And in the book I lay out six basic principles for church membership:

I Will Be a Unifying Church Member
I Will Not Let the Church Be About My Preferences and Desires
I Will Pray for My Church Leaders
I Will Lead My Family to Be Healthy Church Members
I Will Be a Functioning Member
I Will Treasure Church Membership as a Gift

Episode Sponsor

You can pick up your copy of I Am a Church Member at your local bookstore or online retailer. At many retailers, churches can also get a bulk case of 20 for $5 per book to use in their churches.

Feedback

If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free autographed copy of I Am a Church Member.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

I Am a Church Member  by Thom Rainer
The Present Future by Reggie McNeal

Friday is for Freebies — I Am a Church Member

To celebrate next week’s official release of my new book, I Am a Church Member, I’m giving away five more signed copies.

Based on an idea originally taken from this blog, I Am a Church Member discusses the attitudes and responsibilities of church members. I address in detail what congregations should really be focusing on—praying for church leaders, being a functioning member, treasuring church membership, and more.

Six chapters with these titles include study questions to guide the discussion:

I Will Be a Unifying Church Member
I Will Not Let the Church Be About My Preferences and Desires
I Will Pray for My Church Leaders
I Will Lead My Family to Be Healthy Church Members
I Will Be a Functioning Member
I Will Treasure Church Membership as a Gift

To enter the giveaway, tell us if you use a Mac or a PC.

PLEASE NOTE – Today at 12:00 PM Eastern, a new episode of Rainer on Leadership will be posted here at ThomRainer.com. This week’s episode deals specifically with the issues I discuss in the book. If you missed last week’s debut episode, you can listen here. Be sure to come back to the site today to listen or subscribe on iTunes.

The deadline to enter is midnight CDT this Saturday. We will draw five winners (one book per winner) from the entries on Monday morning.

By entering, you acknowledge and accept the terms of the promotion.

Notable Voices – April 25, 2013

7 False Assumptions Made About Introverts — Ron Edmondson

Ron and I have both written extensively on introverts and the ministry. In this post he lists seven assumptions people make about introverts. And this post is probably best read alone in a quiet room.

 

With Bookselling in Deep Turmoil, Book Sales Are on the Rise — The Atlantic

From my perspective as the president and CEO of a company that both publishes and sells books, this is an encouraging article. And as an author with a new book coming out next week, it’s an exciting article.

 

Evangelicals and Foreign Adoption — Maralee Bradley

A new book scrutinizing adoption practices (many would say unfairly) has prompted much discussion within the evangelical adoption community. Several authors and bloggers have responded to provide more of a balanced view of the movement. Maralee shares some helpful advice for those considering adoption.

 

Really? ALL THINGS Without Grumbling? Really? — Mark Altrogge

Mark sheds light on the link between thankfulness and contentment in the Christian life.

 

Hope for Timid Evangelists — Aaron Armstrong

Aaron shares scriptural encouragement for boldness in evangelism. What might our churches look like if we lacked timidity when sharing our faith?

 

Conspiracy Theories and God’s Sovereignty — Jared Wilson

The bombings in Boston last week stirred up even more conspiracy theories about the government and terror. In this excerpt, Sherman Smith explains that many of those holding to conspiracy theories “have thrown God out of the picture as one who has lost control of his world.”

Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 11 Things I Learned

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?

Ten Ways to Grow a Small Group

By Chuck Lawless

Small groups matter in the church. Regardless of a church’s size, the small group is a place of teaching, fellowship, prayer, and pastoral care. The adage, “A church must grow smaller as it grows larger” is more than a church growth cliché; it is a principle of Great Commission growth.

Many small groups, though, turn inwardly. Here are some ways to strengthen the outward focus of your church’s small group ministry.

Be clear about the purpose of the group. Every small group exists for some reason. Some focus on evangelism. Others emphasize discipleship. Some are short-term focused studies, while others have an ongoing curriculum. The problem is that many small group leaders and participants don’t think about, aren’t clear about, or even disagree about the group’s purpose. Unfocused small groups—like unfocused churches—often plateau or decline.
Make sure the teachers/facilitators are good teachers. This point might seem obvious, but I cannot make this statement strongly enough: bad teachers/facilitators produce weak small groups. Being unprepared or boring is inexcusable—especially if the goal of the small group is Bible teaching. Don’t be surprised if groups with poor leaders don’t grow.
Enlist teachers/facilitators who want to multiply the group. The leader’s influence here is huge. If leaders want only to grow a crowd to hear them teach, the potential for producing kingdom growth will ultimately be weakened. If the goals of a leader are to grow a group, raise up new leaders, and send them out to reach others, the group will likely catch that vision.
Train teachers/facilitators to think as guests. No longer can we assume that guests—or group members, for that matter—have even basic biblical knowledge. Guests may not understand our Christian terms or denominational lingo. The best teachers/facilitators recognize these truths and adjust their teaching accordingly by explaining basics and defining terms.
Be aware of the 80% percent rule. At least in North American culture, physical space matters. When a group reaches 80% of its space capacity, numerical growth is likely to plateau or decline. Outreach often becomes less a concern when group members perceive the space is already full.
Use nametags. Some groups provide a nametag only for guests. I understand that thinking, but it actually puts the guest at a disadvantage. Others may call her name, but she cannot respond in kind if the “regulars” aren’t also wearing nametags. At the same time, the group that says, “We don’t need nametags because we already know everybody” is likely not thinking about growth.
If your group uses written curriculum, have extra copies available for guests. Suppose new guests attend, but you have no copies of the study for them. You have essentially said to them, “We weren’t thinking about the possibility of others coming. We weren’t prepared for you.” A lack of material for guests indicates a lack of expectation among the group members.
Train a pastoral care team for each small group. Get ready for growth by putting a small group pastoral care infrastructure in place. Small groups do not automatically follow up with and care for their members. The cracks through which members fall are sometimes quite wide. A strong pastoral care team (perhaps as few as two people) can help correct this problem. No small group member should be absent without follow-up, ill without care, or needy without assistance.
Enlist an outreach leader for each small group. Few small groups default into an outward focus. Instead, they turn inwardly, often without recognizing the resulting stagnation. A strong outreach leader can continually remind the group of the need to do personal evangelism and guest follow-up. Intentionality is important, and the outreach leader can lead in developing a strategic growth plan.
Lead groups to pray for people who have never attended.  We most often pray for people who regularly attend—that is, for those we know and see. The most Great Commission-focused small groups, though, pray also for those they are trying to reach.

A quick review of these suggestions should show you this point: the one who leads the small group matters. Good teachers will teach anywhere. They will take bad curriculum and make it interesting. They will figure out how to address a group member who dominates discussion. They will enlist and organize other members for outreach and follow-up. They will lead the group to multiply itself. Getting the right leaders will take your church a long way toward growing effective small groups.

What other strategies do you recommend for growing small groups?

Chuck Lawless currently serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions and Dean of Graduate Studies at Southeastern Seminary. 

You can connect with Dr. Lawless on both Twitter and Facebook.

 

Top Ten Actual Stories of Preaching Distractions

With the exception of a few overly serious commenters, my blogpost on preaching distractions last week was a lot of fun. In that post, I reported categories of preaching distractions from a number of pastors I surveyed. Over the past week I have received numerous actual stories of distractions.

In honor of those great stories, I have compiled my own top ten actual examples. Some of them came from the 100 plus comments; others were shared with me via Twitter, Facebook, and in-person. I have put the stories in my own words while trying to be true to the facts.

Feel free to add your own stories to the list. Your story may even move into the top ten. Enjoy!

10. Crazy as a bat.

“A bat started flying low while I was preaching. Many people were screaming. Finally some of the men captured the critter. They actually had prayer over him and released him toward the Methodist church.”

9. Lazarus come forth!

“While I was preaching on John 11, the story of Lazarus, a 100-year-old woman lost consciousness. Our organist, a nurse, went to attend to her, and whispered ‘no pulse.’ The story does have a happy ending though. The lady survived.”

8. Don’t Pledge the pews!

“Our new custodian decided to impress everyone by putting Pledge on all the wooden pews. While the preacher was preaching, there were repeated sounds of crashing and thuds as people were unable to hold their posterior on the piney Pledged pews.”

7. Chemical spill!

“I was not the only one who smelled the chemical odor while I preached. Indeed I started getting worried, as I got more and more lightheaded. I would learn after the service that a woman was taking off her nail polish with nail polish remover while I preached.”

6. UFO spotted.

“A child kicked off a tennis shoe and it landed right next to me while I preached. The kid claimed it was an accident.”

5. How many men does it take . . . ?

“During my sermon everyone was distracted as one man after another disappeared from the sanctuary. Finally I learned that we had a leak in one of the restrooms. Eight men were trying to fix it and ten men were observing them.”

4. Semper Fi.

“Everyone has experienced cell phones ringing during sermons. What was unusual about this one was that it was playing the Marine Corps hymn, and no one could find the phone while it was ringing.”

3. No it’s snot.

“During a point of real emphasis in the sermon, a choir member let go of a huge sneeze. That was distracting enough, but she failed to cover her face, and a huge pile of mucus landed on the shoulder of the preacher’s coat. He didn’t realize it at the time. Many in the choir had to leave as they couldn’t stop laughing.”

2. An arresting moment.

“The pastor was ten minutes into his sermon when two police officers came in the service, pointed to a deacon to come out of the pew, handcuffed him and took him away. I thought the amazing thing was that the pastor kept preaching, but I was even more amazed that the deacon’s wife stayed for the entire service.”

1. It’s a gas.

“The seven-year-old preacher’s kid was a bit of a troublemaker, but he was in rare form on this particular Sunday. Right in the middle of the sermon, he stood up, then bent over and yelled ‘Thar she blows!’ It was one of the loudest moments of flatulence I’ve ever heard. The service ended at that moment with the preacher exiting with his precocious son.”

Thanks for the great stories. I hope you readers can add even more.

Pray for Aletheia Church

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Pastor: Adam Mabry

Worship Times: 9:25 & 11:00 AM (Eastern Time)

Fast Facts: This has been a tragic week for the city of Boston. Please pray for this church and other churches in Boston as they minister to their communities in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing and the subsequent manhunt. Pastor Mabry penned these words on his blog about the events of the week:

So as the smoke clears, what’s the church’s move? Walking through downtown I found myself asking, “Lord, show me what you want us to do.” I walked. I wondered. After some waiting, a thought occurred. Perhaps it was memory, perhaps divine guidance. I’m not skilled enough to parse between the two. But the thought came as though God himself were saying, “I’ve already told you what to do. Go.” I knew what that mean. For the Christian, “go” is a very meaningful word. “Go” is the standing order that Jesus himself gave to the church which, until he returns, is in effect. We’re to go to the hurting, empty streets. We’re to go to the aching who can’t make it better.

Going, by the way, doesn’t mean simply showing up with water, blankets, and medicine. I mean, this is Boston. The best hospitals in the universe are here. It’s a world-class city. The people don’t lack for much, materially speaking. So when we go, what—or more accurately, who—do we bring? Well, put simply, Jesus. The city doesn’t need my stuff, they need my savior.

Website: www.aletheiaboston.com

“Pray for . . .” is the Sunday blog series at ThomRainer.com. We encourage you to pray for these churches noted every Sunday. Please feel free to comment that you are praying as well. If you would like your church to be featured in “Pray for . . .” contact Steve Drake, director of pastoral relations, at Steve.Drake@LifeWay.com.

Four Simple Reasons Most Churches Aren’t Breakout Churches

Almost a decade ago, I led a major study on churches that had reversed negative trends and become positive breakout churches. I established the criterion that the breakout had to take place without changing pastors. I knew from previous research that most breakout churches had new pastors. I wanted to see if it was likely for a church to turnaround without getting a new pastor.

My beginning database was 52,333 churches in the United States. Without boring you with all the details of my data screening and research (You can read about it in Appendix B of my book, Breakout Churches.), I was only able to identify 13 true breakout churches. For the interested statistical nerds like me, that’s only two 100ths of one percent (.0002).

That extremely low number has bothered me for years. As a result, I have attempted to discern what the primary hindrances are. Why is it so unlikely for a declining church to become a growing church? Surprisingly, demographics have little to do with the turnaround. So far, I’ve been able to identify four simple reasons breakout is hindered in most churches.

Lack of leadership development. Most pastors have little training or background in leadership. But they are expected to lead a church. Some may have extensive theological and biblical training, but they are weak in leadership. Jethro had to tell Moses that his leadership approach was all wrong. Moses was headed for a leadership disaster. Many of our churches have leaders who have few leadership skills.


Unbiblical understanding of church membership. I have written quite a bit on this topic lately, including my new book I Am a Church Member. Basically, an unbiblical understanding of church membership is one that is self-centered. Members have an attitude that the church exists for “me” and “my” preferences. If I don’t get my way, I’m either going to cause conflict or leave the church.


Unclear purpose. Though it may seem counterintuitive, many church members do not know the clear purpose or purposes of their church. The purpose is the guiding statement that points members to all that they should do in the church. Without a clear and biblical purpose, members either fail to make meaningful contributions or they exit the church.


Lack of outward focus. In the American church, over 95% of all money and time resources go toward the members instead of those outside the church. Until a church gains a clear outward mindset, it will have little opportunity to be a true breakout church.

The four simple reasons are not mutually exclusive. Typically when a church begins to change in one or more of the four areas, the other areas tend to improve as well. The result can be a breakout church, a congregation that has moved from stagnation or decline to healthy growth.

Do you know of any breakout churches? If so, what qualities did they exhibit or what action did they take?

Ten Ways Ordinary People Became Good Leaders — Rainer on Leadership #001

Podcast Episode #001

Subscribe via iTunes

On this debut episode of Rainer on Leadership, I discussed a recent blog series (part one • part two) on “Ten Ways Ordinary People Become Good Leaders.” Here are the ten traits:

They determine that their integrity would not be compromised.
They work hard.
They take responsibility for themselves.
They are decisive.
They read a lot.
They have genuine humility.
They seek mentors.
They avoid ruts.
They have a sense of humor.
They are goal setters.

Episode Sponsor

At MinistryGrid.com you’ll find more than 1,000 video sessions on topics, ranging from parking ministry to polity, with more added continually. You can even upload your own content, turn off unwanted content, and put your church’s own logo and colors on the site. An intuitive learning management system makes assigning courses and tracking progress a snap. It’s training made simple. For more information and to get three months free, visit ministrygrid.com.

Feedback

If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free autographed copy of the new book I Am a Church Member.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

Mentor: How Along-the-Way Discipleship Will Change Your Life by Chuck Lawless
Profitable Growth is Everyone’s Business: 10 Tools You Can Use Monday Morning by Ram Charan
Simple Church:Returning to God’s Process for Making Disciples by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
The Essential Drucker: The Best Sixty Years of Peter Drucker’s Essential Writings on Management by Peter F. Drucker