Some of the Work Required to Turn Around Churches

Below are the newsletter articles for February and March.  In them there is discussion on what we can do to turn churches around.  Just as a reminder these items are not totally inclusive.  There are probably others as well.

                I am often asked by individuals and in meetings what we can do to turn the church around/how do we get people to come back to church.  I have some answers, and will share some of them this month and some next month.  There will be some commentary with them to help explain them.  One thing to remember is that just like a fully loaded oil tanker at sea trying to turn around, it is going to take time, work, and space.

1.  There is no group that is going to be the savior of the church.  We often think “if only the youth/the ones who have stopped coming/ the families/etc would come they will save the church.”  As Kenda Creasy Dean reminded the Annual Conference a few years ago these groups are not our savior(s), our Savior is Jesus Christ-living, died, raised, and coming again. 

2.  We have to tell among ourselves and to others our stories on why God is important to us, what Jesus has done for us, and how the Holy Spirit helps us.  If we do not talk about our faith then other people are not going to know that God is alive and active in the world today.  Our faith is not supposed to be kept to ourselves, but rather it is to be shared with the world.  Remember Jesus tells us in Matthew to go into all the world teaching and baptizing, making disciples.  He does not tell us to stay quiet.

3.  Along with talking about our faith we also have to issue invitations for people to come to church, and invitations for people to enter into a life transforming relationship with Jesus Christ as their Savior.  Over the last 20 years I have had many people say “I don’t know how to share my faith” or “I don’t want to push religion on anyone” or “it makes me uncomfortable,” and a host of other reasons or excuses.  We live today in a culture more like the Apostles’ and early Christians than we do in one like the 1960s/70s.  In the 60s and 70s there was still somewhat of the expectation one would go to church on Sunday and be involved in its ministries.  That is not the case anymore.  Instead, like the Apostles and early Christians, we live in a society where we need to be like Andrew when he went and told people about Jesus, and then asked him to go to see him.

4.  We need more small groups.  These groups can be grouped around interests, missions, sports, learning, study, etc, but they should always include prayer and support when they meet.  The early Methodists met weekly in classes where they were encouraged to confess their sins and to build each other up.  The classes also grew organically, and when they began to get too big they split and formed new ones.

5.  We need to rethink what the Church is.  Too often we have forgotten The Church, which we are members of, is the Body of Christ, and not a building.  We are the hands and feet of Jesus.  It has been said the Church is the only entity that is in business not for itself.  We need to be reaching out locally, nationally, and internationally.  This reaching out is not just by giving money or supplies, but also going to where the need is, taking the time and inviting people to come to receive physical and spiritual help. 

                Next month we will look at a few more items that we can do to strengthen the congregations.

                Blessings,


                Pastor Dave

                Last month I listed five items we need to know or do to turn the church around/to get more people in church.  This month we will conclude the list.  Now please understand these are not all that we have to do, but it is a start and they are some of the bigger items we need to address.  Also, please know that most of the items are facing many, if not most, of the churches in America today.  Just as a recap here are the five that were talked about last month.  If you want to know more about each point refer to your newsletter or contact the church office and Norma should be able to e-mail you one.

1.  The only Savior for the church is Jesus Christ.  There is no one person or group who is going to save the church other than him. 

2.  We have to tell other people, including those who do not come to church, what God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit has done for us.

3.  We have to extend invitations to people to come to church and to enter into a relationship with Jesus.

4.  We need more small groups.

5.  We need to rethink what church is.

                 Here are the rest of the actions we can do to help the church become who God wants us to be.

6.  We have to be willing to take risks and to be willing to set aside personal preferences.  Congregations are some of the most risk adverse groups there are.  Change does not come easily, nor new things.  Even some of the things that we try that seem new are old things just repackaged in new wrapping.  Sometimes what we try or should be doing goes against what we would do personally or what we like to do.  Risk taking is scary, it can be uncomfortable, and there is no guarantee of success, and yet we are called to do it in the name of Jesus Christ.  If we stumble then we will just get up, wipe ourselves off, and continue to do what God is calling us to do.  Sometimes we get too comfortable in our preferences that we cannot, or more accurately, will not be willing to change or try new things.  Peter took a risk when he got out of the boat to go to Jesus, and when he stumbled Jesus was there to help him up.

7.  Everyone has dreams including God.  God has a dream of who we can become as individuals and as a congregation.  We have to be willing to set aside our dreams for the congregation and church, and then pick up God’s dream for us.  This takes a lot of work, discernment, and will power.  It involves a lot of letting go.

8.  We need to move the Lord and church up on our priority list.  Some may say “you’re getting too personal Dave.”  I would ask, “did this strike too close to home?”  Remember the first commandment, “you shall not have any other God before me.”  God should be number one in our lives.  We are told not to forget the assembly of the saints as some are known to do.  In today’s world there are many other things calling for our priority.  As we hear these voices we have to make choices on what is going to be the most important.  We will also have to carve time out of the schedule for both worship and personal devotion time.  There will be those times we also need to make time for special activities at the church.

9.  We need to remember what God gives us may be something entirely different than what we want.  This could be ministry, building, location, who we work with, and the list goes on and on.  This may mean giving up what we hold dear, and not just dreams and memories.

10.  We need to show mercy, grace, offer forgiveness, and put aside grudges.  I have heard of and been in churches that are still dealing with unresolved conflict or grudges from 5, 10, 20, even 50 years ago.  It needs to be practiced in the Christian’s home as well because you will bring your attitude from home to the church.  From moving a piano across the chancel area or even just a few inches to putting cushions on the pews; from somebody who might not have smiled at you at a family reunion to your spouse not putting the seat down; if we do not forgive and show mercy and grace, the affront gets into us and festers.  It infects us, our relationships, and eventually our actions.  It will infect the rest of the body of Christ.  Sometimes the infection will be a slow gradual erosion of health that is not noticeable until it is too late.  Other times it will become like an infected boil that when any pressure, intentional or unintentional, is applied it busts spurting its pus and goo all over the group.  As it explodes, much like the potatoes in John Belushi’s lunchroom scene in “Animal House”, it opens a way for more infection to invade us, and as the infection lands on other people it can ooze its way into the tiniest of openings and begin to grow there.  The medicine for this is to communicate, to show grace and mercy, and to forgive.

11.  The last one should actually be the first one.  We should literally or figuratively be on our knees praying.  Praying for the Body of Christ to be made strong; seeking the Lord’s guidance on where we should go and who we should and could become as we follow him completely.  We need to be interceding for those who are hurting even if they are our enemies or we do not like them.  To be willing to God to put people in front of us whom we can share the Good News of Jesus Christ with.  We need to come before the Almighty with the knowledge and a confession of our sinfulness, but also to be willing to ask for pardon and forgiveness.  We should be praying for courage to go where we are called.  To tell God everything that is bothering us no matter how big, how small, how silly we perceive it to be, or how insignificant we think it is.  God wants us to bring ALL to him. 

Blessings,

Pastor Dave