Reason 1: The church building sometimes become an albatross for churches. Either tradition holds back needed changes or additions or the congregation does not have the financial resources to maintain the buildings.
Reason 2: The Pastor search process. Churches have difficulty going through the traditional process of finding a new pastor due to conflicts, lack of energy, lack of vision, and finances.
Reason 3: Ministry. One of the clearest signs that a congregation is withering is when they are not able to see the need ministry beyond the existence of their church.
Reason 4: Visitors Do you make your visitors feel welcome or are they ignored. Not greeting them, not providing a seat , clicks in activities/fellowships, etc
Reason 5: Lack of Leadership: Leadership within a congregation is essential for a healthy future
Reason 6: Conflict and Division. Unresolved conflict can fester and destroy the best of congregations.
Reason 7: Ownership of One or Two Families: Have you ever heard someone say, “This is my church!”
Reason 8: Worldliness Over Godliness: The evolution of “Worldliness Over Godliness” in any congregation is fueled and created by gauging the success of the church in the same terms a business would determine if it was being successful or not.
The Above statement can also apply to the church in the United States.
Scholar and author Don Cupitt wrote in Reforming Christianity:
“The Christian churches are melting away: in Europe, at least, on most of the indices of measurable decline they are currently losing almost a quarter of what’s left in each decade, and a half in each generation. The main reason for their decline is a general loss of public confidence in the objective truth of the major Christian beliefs.”
The Above statement can also apply to the church in the United States.
If the above quick assesment indicates that your church is unhealthy, you might consider doing a deeper evaluation using our more extensive tests: Church Health Tests
On this website not only will you find tools, resources, and information on how to evaluate the condition of your church, but also tools, resources and information on how to bring your church back to a healthy state.
Under “Resources” in the menu above are links/information on a number of good resources. A number of experts advise churches to use an outside adviser/coach to serve as their accountability partner, monitoring, encouraging and giving feedback to them through out the process. Churches, leaders, and members are all creatures of habit and in our sinfulness and stuckness we tend to avoid the tough stuff. Someone to support you as an adviser or Coach is an indispensable part of the hard task of revitalization.
Click on: Online Coaching