Smoky Mountain Reflections #166
Is
it ever good or healthy for a church to get smaller? Well, if you understand
the church to be people and not a building, there are some realities we should
consider when answering this question. Much church growth literature will point
out that 80% of churches in America have either plateaued or are in decline,
but plateauing or declining is not always a terrible thing. In fact, the
numerical size of any congregation is at the discretion of the Holy Spirit. We
should always strive to reach out to the lost with God’s truth, but we do not
cause a congregation to grow; we are but workers in the harvest field. We as
Americans often think that more and bigger is always better, but I feel that
this is a faulty assumption when applied to churches, causing us to be
unsatisfied with God’s provision and support. So, let’s look at some reasons
why a good church, that is doing God’s will in the community in which He called
them to serve, might see a healthy decline in membership or attendance.
First, unconverted
people may leave because the gospel is being preached. Of course there are
unsaved people within the visible church, but sadly, many of these individuals
only want to hear a typical feel-good, better-yourself, itching-ear kind of
message (which sadly is all that is preached in many churches). Such people
will not like the Biblical message of law & gospel (“You are a sinner, but Jesus
Christ died for you”). This type of church member will either repent and grow,
leave, or stay and cause problems, especially if they are in a leadership
position. Preaching the gospel is the right thing to do and is the only thing
that can give life to a church. No pastor or congregation should ever be
discouraged if they lose people as a result of declaring the gospel. We should,
however, always remember those who leave in our prayers, and continue to try to
reach out to them.
Church members
also pass away and go to be with Christ. In my 10 years here, 23 of our members
have left the church on earth for the church triumphant. In some years a church
may have more funerals than baptisms or new member receptions, but this is part
of the typical life cycle of any church family regardless of size.
Pastors,
teachers and other missionaries are trained, tested, affirmed and sent out to serve
the church in other places. If a church experiences decline in numbers because they
send workers out to be trained or serve the broader church, that is a good thing.
An intentional
process is in place to catechize people before they become members. Sometimes
people do not join a church because the church takes a stand on Biblical truth.
People declined to join or have left St. Paul because they did not like
scriptures’ position on women’s ordination, close(d) communion, cohabitation,
or homosexual marriage. Speaking the truth in love is not always received well,
but it is better to be upfront and honest than to pull a bait-and-switch.
Sometimes a church
has been in decline for a long time, but the membership roll has not been
cleaned for many years. After an honest evaluation of the congregation’s roster,
if it is discovered that many members have moved, gone to another church, or no
longer consider themselves members, then reducing the number on paper may
appear drastic, but it is simply acknowledging the reality of the situation.
Finally, if the
demographics of a community are on the decline, fewer people in the community
will mean fewer people in church. For example, Detroit has shrunk from almost 5
million to less than 380,000, and as a result a great many churches have closed
their doors. We should of course always seek to have a church wherever there
are people to serve, but if a church is a reflection of the community it
serves, then it should not fret, but thank God for the opportunity to serve
that community.
In Christ,
Pastor Portier
