Why are churches dying? There are pretty common reasons why churches die. Some are so sick that they are a few years, perhaps just months, from death. But too many refuse to do anything. Any potential and dramatic turnaround will not take place because these churches do nothing.
The doctor told my dad he was dying. Our family physician was a kind man, a true friend of the family. But he was firm. Dad was on the short path to death. My father, then 58 years old, had been smoking for four decades. I suppose his time in the military in World War II proved to be the primary impetus to his taking on the bad habit. His peers smoked. There were hardly any voices suggesting the evils of smoking then. And it proved to be a relief and escape from the ravages of war he witnessed day after day.
To be clear, our doctor had not declared to my dad that he was terminal. At this point, there was no cancer present. The only sign was an early onset of emphysema. But the kind physician could see all the signs. Dad had to make major and dramatic changes or he would die within a few years. Indeed, it might already be too late regardless of any changes he made. He never stopped smoking.
Why are churches dying? Dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer at age 61. He died one month after his 62nd birthday. Here’s why church die for similar reasons.
Why Churches Die
We wonder why churches die. Why do these dying churches walk resolutely down the path of death? Why don’t they attempt something dramatic, something bold? I have worked with too many of these churches, and have seen clearly why churches are dying.
1. They refuse to admit they are sick, very sick.
I have worked with churches whose attendance has declined by over 80 percent. They have no gospel witness in the community. They have not seen a person come to Christ in two decades. But they say they are fine. They say nothing is wrong.
RELATED: Lessons from a Dying Church
2. They are still waiting on the “magic bullet” pastor.
They reason, if only we could find the right pastor, we would be fine. But they bring in pastor after pastor. Each leaves after a short-term stint, frustrated that the congregation was so entrenched in its ways. So the church starts the search again for the magic bullet pastor.
