Is anyone else alarmed to read this new statistic: 70% of all churches in America are in decline?
Years ago I gave up using church attendance as a yardstick to measure the greatness of a church. But it’s time to get honest. If 7 out of 10 churches in America are shrinking we have a Titantic sized problem. There are a lot of sucky churches.
Why are so many churches failing to grow? Why are they shrinking? What are the reasons so many churches suck?
Here are 6 reasons church sucks.
A church sucks when it spends more money on the building than on ministry.
I know: if we build it they will come. Whoever sold that line from Field of Dreams to the church ought to be embarrassed. It’s a double tragedy. We built it by mortgaging our ability to do ministry. Tragic. But they never came. Tragic.
As a result, million dollar buildings house a handful of people for one hour a week. And God weeps. Why? The building has become the new god. The money used to pay the interest and make payments could’ve been used to do ministry.
And can I be off the charts honest? People outside the church watch Christians strut around in their nearly empty buildings and think church people are crazy.
Does your church suck?
A church sucks when it cares more about the people inside the building than outside the building.
Is the number one goal of your church to keep the people in the church happy; even if it means failure to minister to people outside the church?
When your church has a leadership meeting to plan outreach, is the first question about the reaction of the resident power broker? Do you make plans on whether or not the biggest giver will approve or disapprove?
Your church will keep on sucking until the leadership decides it is worth the risk to reach new people. God gave His only Son for the lost. The church must step into the rescue of people business even if it steps on the toes of church people.
Churches that don’t suck realize God cares more about the lost than the discomfort of the people already found. If you need affirmation of this truth read Jonah 4 again.
So what about your church? Does your church suck?
A church sucks when it focuses on religion instead relationships.
Jesus did not shy away from attacking religious people in His preaching. The Pharisees, experts in church law, were frequent targets. They thought they had it all figured out. Jesus let them know they were in error because they focused on religion while ignoring relationships.
You can be religious and yet far from a meaningful relationship with God and others.
The churches that don’t suck have figured out we must focus on relationships more than religion. A community of believers is about a vertical relationship with God and a horizontal relationship with others. And at the intersection of the two is the Cross.
Churches focusing on religion instead of relationships suck. Does your church suck?
A church sucks when it is convinced they are right and everyone else is wrong.
Spiritual arrogance is a rancid stench in the nostrils of everyone who gets a wiff. Do you really think unless someone agrees with every statement in your church’s black book they are bound for hell?
If this is what you believe, then you’ve stepped into God’s role and shoved Him aside. The last time I checked, God made the rules and decided who was in and who was out.
Do you think people outside your church are attracted by your self-righteous arrogance? Are they being attracted by your narrow-mindedness?
I thought only God had everything figured out? My bad.
Does your church suck?
A church sucks when it fights losing battles while ignoring the real war.
Some churches fight battles of little consequence while ignoring the battle between God’s good and Satan’s evil.
It’s embarrassing to see churches do public battle over which Bible version to use. Yeah, that’s right. Let’s throw sticks and stones at each other about the King James version versus the New International version.
Or let’s split a church over which end time view is correct. Why are some churches so passionate about their position on the Rapture while people are right now living in a version of hell without hope?
Churches that don’t suck, pick and choose their battles carefully. Churches that suck will fight with anyone about anything at anytime.
Does your church suck?
A church sucks when it refuses to engage the outcasts of society while forgetting Jesus focused on them.
Brent Bittenbender started a ministry to the inner city of Detroit. He’s made friends with a hooker who stands every day on her street corner. She is wasting away as her heroin addiction disintegrates her body. Unless a miracle happens, this 23-year-old daughter will die.
- Where is the church? They’re attending another Bill Gaither and Friends concert.
- Where is the church? They’re doing another Bible study gossip session.
- Where is the church? They’re busy dividing the alphabet up so everyone knows what to bring to the monthly potluck.
- Where is the church? They’re fighting over who gets control of the Do Nothing Committee.
But time is running out for the corner hooker. What about her? Thanks to the ministry of Brent she is now in rehab. She has a fighting chance. But no thanks to a church.
Does your church suck?
Here’s how to fix it. Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Unsucking your church is simple. Embrace Matthew 6:33. Make the Kingdom of God the genuine priority of your church. Decide nothing else matters. Nothing.
A church that doesn’t suck is centered on an all-consuming passion for the Kingdom of God. This passion drives everything the church touches.
When this happens your church will focus on:
- Finding ways to give a cup of cool water to the thirsty.
- Partying with sinners.
- Turning the other cheek.
- Loving those who crucify you.
- Refusing to hold grudges.
- Being a light into the dark world of sin.
- Embracing the unloved.
- Giving the best seats in the house to the one’s who least deserve them.
We need churches that take the heart of Christ’s teachings seriously. We need churches that don’t suck.
Does your church suck?
I so agree when it comes to those glitzy multi million dollar temples to the seventh day hypocrites. But I see many churches in my small community made from metal buildings and lots of hard work. From what I hear many of them do worry about the unloved and unfed.
I have issues with church teachings so I can’t speak personally on what they do day to day.
Then we have those glittering monstrosities where people pay and pay and pay. All denominations. Those can either go away or start paying taxes.
Some churches are TERRIFIC. Some churches really get it. But too many seem to be off center.
I would love to find more ways to make the church better.
Thanks for your comment.
I wouldn’t mind taking advantage of the fellowship in a good church. Unfortunately I haven’t clicked with one yet.
Thanks SO MUCH for this blog
You’re quite welcome. I’m sure there’s a church out there for you somewhere!
Amen.
Randy, your post is spot on…and heartbreaking. There is so much to be done, and the members of the “do-nothing” committees are running out of time to save the relevancy of the Church.
The church where I serve is so bound financially with a huge mortgage that we have had to chop ministries right and left. But we are not deterred. Saturday morning we are going “egg” our community and go out and talk to people (and of course, give them a little something sweet). We are tired of being a cruise boat and so seek to become a life raft. God is good and He is moving amongst our people! And, I follow Brent’s ministry…ready to move up and join him! Let the church be the church!
Thanks for the encouraging comment! And I love the language: “tired of being a cruise boat and seek to become a life raft.”
Interesting article, Randy. I’ve heard these type of sentiments before, including the rx to fix it.
My last (literally and chronologically) church did not suck for any of the listed reasons. In fact, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
However, I don’t know what kind of turnover they have. It’s got to be a high rate. The main stage service is highly entertaining and professionally done. They’ve got all kinds of programs to reach the marginalized. But they suck very badly at feeding their own sheep.
This particular church is a very corporate culture, leadership-wise. They’re great at marketing, retention, r&d and all the things a good business needs.
My opinion is that the protestant Christian church as a whole is so fractured since Mr Luther hammered his theses as to be rendered too diluted to be useful.
Ironically, it was my attendance at this thriving church for three years that was very instrumental in my decision to leave the faith altogether. Surely not an outcome they would welcome, but surely not a concern they would have time for.
Thanks for sharing your story. I am greatly concerned about the church’s inability to meet the needs of people; whether inside or outside the church.
We attend one of the great old churches of our city that has a wonderful history of ministry. However, we are in that decline that you mention so articulately. My reading has taken me to the subject of Postmodernism as one cultural factor in why churches are losing ground. Postmodernism posits several things, which include a mood of uncertainty, no objective truth, just interpretation and ecclecticism (finding truth from a variety of sources). The young of today are abandoning the old dinosaur church structures for eclectic variations on spirituality that center much more around small groups in homes, pubs, etc. They are also not buying our worn out theological expressions. Humans will always need a spiritual foundation, but the current traditional church structure will continue to weaken. Randy, thanks for bringing this needed discussion to this forum.
Great comment. The traditional church MUST find ways to reinvent it’s methodology. The church must never forget it needs to be relevant in the culture in which it functions. And as the culture changes, as it always does, the church must adeptly adapt. Yes, keep the message the same but never fall in love with the method more than the message.
Excellent point about postmodernism. Our young people no longer take anything for granted, or on the word of anyone else, which makes it tremendously difficult for the Church to maintain its influence.
A framework for ministering to those in and outside the church can be found in the corporal and spiritual acts of mercy.
To feed the hungry;
To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked;
To harbour the harbourless;
To visit the sick;
To ransom the captive;
To bury the dead.
And,
To instruct the ignorant;
To counsel the doubtful;
To admonish sinners;
To bear wrongs patiently;
To forgive offences willingly;
To comfort the afflicted;
To pray for the living and the dead.
People will be drawn to a church that focuses it purpose as worshiping Christ, and expressing Christ’s love by responding to the needs of others.
Joanne has listed the many wonderful ministries that many churches are engaged in today and still losing ground. I believe the great mystics of all faith traditions would point out to us Americans that our obsession with numbers and finances as the symbols of our success are way off base. The Christian church in the USA has gone to bed with capitalism and we are not prepared spiritually for the future changes that are on the way. We need to look deeply at groups like the old Quakers for good examples of spirituality in a postmodern world.
I agree with most of your statements. I would have to amend the caring about people inside the building more than outside. I agree with the statement, but I don’t think they are caring for the people inside either. The people who come to church are broken people. They want to stop being slaves to anger, lust, etc. They want to know what it means to turn the other cheek and how do you do it. Instead, what we hear in churches is that we need to reach the lost, that sharing is good, and be loving.
People want community. They want to know that after I learn how messed up they are, that I won’t turn around and gossip about it. They want more than the casual, “I’ll pray for you” answer. True community discusses these issues. They discuss things like how to help someone who is addicted to pornography, sex, alcohol, etc and what can we do help them. Sure prayer is definitely needed, but they need personal mentors. Someone to struggle with them. Someone to show them that love actually exists, and it is found here.
In Islam if you cheat on your wife, and she doesn’t know, you just cut ties with the woman you cheated on your wife with and don’t bring it up to your wife to prevent pain and suffering. A “greater good.” In Christianity (some churches) if you do the same cheating, and you get caught (otherwise why stop cheating), then you go to some therapist or get a divorce. There is no community at all. Forgive me if I’m out of line, but I think this what people want when they complain they want to be fed.
What food for thought in your post Randy as well as all the comments. I feel discouraged at times to hear all these stats while wondering where is my church in all of this?! Then I wonder how do we create this relevant church to reach our culture without watering down the message of the cross & the resurrection? And how do we nurture & mentor newcomers when many of us “inside” the church feel broken & weary of the battles of life? Often we feel embarrassed or ashamed to show how vulnerable we feel since we’ve been Christians & church folks for decades!
As I enter the 7th decade of my life I find I have more questions than answers! But then I think “maybe that’s where God wants me so I will learn how to totally depend on Him for all the answers”! All my working life I was in a profession of serving & caring for others; yet looking back I realize how burned out we can become if we try to do any of it in our own strength (which unfortunately I did on many occasions). I want to know more of Jesus transforming power in my own life so I can really show His love to those “inside or outside” my church.
Thanks for sharing these posts that make us think & question, personally & as a church, where we are in all of this changing culture!
Sometimes I get discouraged with all things in the church that aren’t going too well. But, I’ve learned the good which is happening does outweigh the bad! Thanks for reading and joining the conversation.
Pastor Randy thanks for being so real & for the encouraging words :-) I know that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world and that the church is His not ours alone!
I agree with the points of this article, re directing the focus appropriately.
But I would add one more.
Pastors should abandon the idea that they are entitled to make a living solely from ministry. Even the Apostle Paul worked a secular job while he was an Apostle, so that he wouldn’t burden others.
This is me, (Lee) replying to my own comment.
I spoke without wisdom regarding professional paid pastors. Please forgive me.
The fact is, I don’t know what the answer is regarding paid, professional pastors.
The bible indicates a case for it perhaps, as best I understand it.
At the same time, my point about Paul working a job outside of ministry also has merit.
So…I don’t know the answer to that. And I’m sorry for my comment if I offended anyone. Please forgive me.
After our lay people looked at this list, the following comment was reached. “My church does not suck.” I pray we will always keep these cancers out of church ministry and Randy you put it very well. Now before any of you comment that I am blind or to close to my church. Well, I am as messed up as those who attend my church so I get it. And yes, always room for improvement. I love my church!
So glad your church doesn’t suck! And of course, not every church does. My concern is for those churches that refuse to face up to the reality of their situation and therefore cannot make the needed changes. Hats off to all those churches that DON’T suck!
Randy it hurt to read this article. It is revelant and honest writing. Lee thank you for your post and clarrification. The idea of a full time pastor is to make it possible to focus on ministry without worry. However there are many of us that still worry about making ends meet, but at the same time take food out of our own freezers and cupboards to help others. What most people see it the 2 percent that are most visible and assume all ministers are in the same situation. There are many I know including myself that have been at the hospital all night, drove a hour each way to come home to shower and go to.the church and share the gospel. Unfortunately many have the idea that we pay the pastor to do that- and are almost happy as long as their needs are met, but are mad because the pastor is not growing the church in his spare time (that is tongue in cheek). Randy I believe many pastors would agree with you including me, so include in your book you right, what is the formula to get others to be passionate about living out Christ. As you know as a pastor that this weighs heavily on the heart and minds of many pastors. Many that are sacrificing everything they have to reach out in the midst of the tragic hamster wheel of traditionalism and religiosity with hands tied behind their back, but still manage to impact a few. Well this was much more than I was going to comment. I hope it makes sense and those that read it understand mere words are inadequate at sharing the burden of the heart to be as Jesus and for people to see Him in all that we do.
Yes, Floyd. Your words make perfect sense. Being a pastor isn’t for wimps. It’s one of the hardest jobs a person can have. My admiration runs especially deep for those who serve in a bivocational capacity. Your encouragement to write the book is appreciated.
It is great to see so many positive comments. I read a lot of “what is wrong with the church” opinions, but you’ve offered your thoughts from a point of really loving the people you’ve critiqued. Keep up the good work.
Start teaching the entirety of the Gospel, and tell people who they are in Christ: Righteous, Holy, Totally-forgiven, Dearly Loved Saints … I estimate that 95% of Christians do not understand their identity in Christ. They wrongly believe they are sinners with a sinful nature, instead of knowing those things were crucified with Christ and they are now Saints with a Divine Nature. Preach the full Gospel and they’ll come.
The pastors of every church that sucks offers the same trite aphorisms offered by Randy Hartman. Churches suck because of gutless, virtual-signaling leaders.
Churches suck because they focus too much on trying to get new people rather than feeding those already in the church.
Churches suck because they either avoid teaching any doctrine or they teach bad doctrine for the sake of tickling ears.
Churches suck because they empower the enemies of Christianity rather than calling them out for their antichristianism.
Churches suck because they throw Jesus under the buss on moral issues.
Your #3 is more like #1 with me.
Abandoned Church of God when the increase in personal commentary and other denomination bashing in sermons was getting sickening.
I was called a liar when called them on it.
Also called a liar when I was grilled about my not wailing and flailing and I said I was just not that emotional.
Thanks for your comments! I just saw them a few moments ago. Pain caused by the church is the worst.