Source of image: JosephMaterra.org
“The word of God teaches us that there are times God’s presence can leave the corporate expression of His people. We see this in I Samuel 4:21-22 when the name Ichabod was given to the grandson of Eli, the high priest, after the ark of the covenant was captured by the Philistines. Also, in the book of Revelation 3:1 Jesus told the church of Sardis that they had a reputation of being alive but was dead. Hence, it is possible for communities of faith to be dead or dying.
Furthermore, in Revelation 2:5, Jesus warned the church of Ephesus that if they did not repent He would remove their lampstand. Since the lampstand represents the true church (according to Rev.1: 20) then Jesus was either threatening to shut down the church and or remove Himself from it (which would mean it was dead spiritually).
Since Jesus said that the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church (Matthew 16) then, it is impossible for Satan to close down a church; hence, whenever a church ceases to exist it is the Lord Himself who shut it down. This is the reason many denominations will cease to exist in the next few decades as well as why many congregations close their doors every year. (To blame Satan for this is not biblical since Jesus said He is the One who removes them).
Having established the biblical precedent for dead or dying churches, the following are signs of a dead (or dying) church. Check the ones that fit your church:
___1. There are no functional prayer gatherings.
Within dying churches, few people show up to pray and seek God together since they have no sense of His Presence or that He is present in the midst of them (E.G. You would not be motivated to speak to your friend if you didn’t think they were listening).
___2. There is no expectation for answered prayers.
Few, if any, pray together since there is no anticipation that God will actually answer prayers. When you are in a church without faith to believe God, it is either dead or dying.
___3. The presence of God is missing in the assembly of the Saints.
Metaphorically, the heavens are like brass over the skies of dead or dying churches (Deut.28: 23). There is no sense of God’s presence during worship even though Jesus promised that where two or three gather in His name there He is in the midst of them (Matt.18: 20).
___4. The Word of God is presented without authority or anointing.
The religious leaders (who practiced a dead faith during Jesus’s time) were shocked when they heard Jesus speak because He taught with authority (Mark 1:22).
In dead or dying churches the preacher has no unction to instill faith, motivate action or convict of sin.
___5. Few if any people are saved, or get baptized.
In the early church, the Lord regularly added people to the church. (Acts 2:47). When there are no people being saved or baptized, it is a sign the Lord is no longer working in their midst.
___6. Every church service is predictable by the minute.
Whether it be high church services or a non-denominational charismatic church, when every aspect of the worship, liturgy, and preaching is predictable as if choreographed to the minute, then it may reveal there is no room for the Holy Spirit to operate. Like Samson of old, the Spirit may have departed without the people knowing it (Judges 16:20).
Truly, any aspect of our church that can function without dependence on the Holy Spirit shows that it is a machination of men and not God.
___7. There is no pattern of disciple making.
The bottom line in all churches is the making of committed Christ followers, better known as disciples. It doesn’t matter how large a church is, what matters is how many mature sons [and daughters] are being developed that will positively affect the created order (Read Romans 8:19-21).
___8. The people jockey for position and titles.
When people are not seeking the glory of God they depend even more upon getting affirmation from men. Hence, a church without the Presence of God will most likely have a hierarchical culture with people posturing for positions and titles. The less you know God intimately, the more your identity will be connected to credentials and titles.
___9. There is no divine sense of mission and purpose.
When there is no vision the people are perishing (Proverbs 29:18), when a congregation is dead or dying they have no compelling transcendent purpose that motivates them to fulfill their biblical calling.
___10. Few people volunteer to serve.
Psalm 110:3 say that the people will volunteer or offer themselves willingly in the day of His power. Consequently, in dead or dying churches very few people volunteer to serve in the ministry.
___11. Few people support the church with tithes and offerings.
Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be” (Matthew 6:21). When a church is dying or dead, few people will be motivated to invest their finances into it. Conversely, when people see God moving within the church, they will have more faith and be more motivated to give of their finances knowing that it is being sown on good soil.
___12. The community doesn’t get impacted.
God called believers to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). When our lamp goes out, the surrounding community is no longer changed by the power of the gospel.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you see any or all of these signs of a dying church in your congregation, ask the Lord what He wants you to do to help resuscitate it. Humbly present your concerns to the leaders of the church before making any decisions. Perhaps God is doing a lot behind the scenes that you do not know about.
Also, at times in American history, the turn of the 19th century in particular, the church in general was in a very low spiritual state; God raised up men like Charles Finney to usher in the Second Great Awakening which revived thousands of congregations and awakened lost sinners. Like the prophet Habakkuk of old, let us seek the Lord to revive His work in the midst of the years and beseech Him that in wrath He would remember mercy (Hab. 3:2).
The greatest challenge we have in this nation is not our political leaders but a lack of power and conviction in the pulpit and the pews that can produce world- changing Christ followers.”
Source: 13 Signs of a Dying Church
Thirteen More Signs
___13. Your leaders are losing their passion.
Leaders of growing churches have a white-hot passion for their mission. You can hear it in their voice and can see it in their eyes. By contrast, leaders of stuck or declining churches or organizations generally do NOT burn with drive, desire or passion.
Passionate leaders are obsessed with the mission and get more excited about possibilities than get weighed down by problems. They also bring the love and hope of Jesus in some way into every aspect of their lives. Most leaders who make a significant difference don’t live balanced lives; they live passionate lives and see ministry as something they GET to do. For them, ministry is a privilege, not a burden.
___14. There is more attention and resources dedicated to maintaining the church organization and facilities than enthusiasm for the work of the Lord.
While internal organizations and maintaining church facilities is important, the true work of the church – the called-out ones, is to go forth to reach the lost with the truth and love of Christ. This also reflects an emphasis on management – managing the affairs of the church, rather than leadership – inspiring members to go out and reach the lost. When maintenance begins to trump mission, the end is near.
___15. Keeping traditions is more important than a compelling vision for the future.
If the past is the guideline for action rather than “what would the Lord have us do in this situation”, the church is ill-equipped to respond to changes impacting the church. The past also does not generate enthusiasm or excitement. That comes from a sense of purpose and direction, and plans and actions to realize a compelling vision for the future.
“Vision is prayed down, not borrowed or thought up. It is a picture of what could be and what should be, and results in passion. A leader with vision motivates people to move into action toward a greater good for the church and community. Vision is directly attached to calling.”
___16. Homeless and street people are seen more as a nuisance and threat to church property than a mission field.
Even though homeless and street people are not easy to minister to, they are fellow image-bears of God, and Jesus commands us to not be respecter of persons but to minister to all. In Matthew 25:45, He states: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
___17. There is greater emphasis on how we are different
from other Christians than what unites us in Christ.
In Ephesians 4:4-6, the apostle Paul declared there is (only) one body and one Spirit. So while it is important to hold to the core beliefs of one’s church, what different Bible-believing Christian churches hold in common – belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior – is more important than our differences.
___18. There is a slow loss of members and finances over time.
Unless there is a crisis or major division, dying churches typically don’t lose members and finances all at once. More common is a gradual attrition, as a few members leave for a variety of reasons, some move away, and older members pass on. This is often accompanied by a lack of influx from the younger generation, who find other churches more appealing, or quit going to church completely. The result is a gradual loss of momentum, members, and finances, like the story of the frog in the boiling water.
___19. Strong resistance to change and innovation is evident.
Change is uncomfortable but necessary. One sign of a dying church is resistance to change and innovation. However, if your church is dying, change needs to be made quickly. Is your church is resisting change because they’re stuck in the past, or for valid and Biblical reasons?
Resist change, and innovators will eventually leave your church. Down the road, even when you want to innovate – you can’t because all the idea people have abandoned ship. When was the last time you did something truly new? If you can’t answer that question, beware. Dying churches typically fiercely reject change.
___20. Sermons engage the mind but not the heart.
We are bombarded by messages from many sources all throughout the week. Sermons that are not personal, compelling, and engaging, that point members to a transformed life, but sound like theological lectures are not very effective. Even worse are sermons that embrace our pagan culture and espouse non-Biblical perspectives.
___21. You are seeing very few first-time visitors.
If a church doesn’t continually attract and connect with first-time visitors, then it will eventually die because of attrition. To attract more first-time guests, the church will need an online strategy and an invite strategy. Your website, social media ads, and online church service are vital to people finding the church. An invite strategy uses invite cards on the 3 big days of the year which are Fall, Christmas and Easter, as well as throughout the year.
The key is to get first-time guests to the Sunday worship experience and then connect them to the life of the church as quickly as possible. That is one of the major differences between dying churches and growing churches.
___22. Everyone in your church looks and thinks just like you.
Does your congregation truly represent a cross-section of your community? Or do they all fit neatly within the same racial, economic, age, cultural, and political boxes? Churches that lack diversity in terms of age, race, and socio-economic status often struggle to connect with their communities and reach new people.
Furthermore, if members of your congregation don’t feel comfortable expressing doubts, asking questions, voicing concerns, or engaging in respectful dialogue on sensitive issues and topics, then your church is probably attractive to one type of person: People just like you. And that’s a well that’ll run dry fast.
___23. You’re focused more on keeping church members than reaching new people.
A subtle sign of a dying church is that it has completely given up on evangelism and is directing all of its resources to keep its members from leaving. In these situations, the goal simply becomes making the congregation as happy and comfortable as possible to prevent any more exits.
The long-term consequences – not investing in young families or community outreach – will inevitably signal a death blow down the road.
___24. Unresolved conflict
Study after study correlates unresolved conflict with church decline. And if there’s one thing dying churches are good at, it’s ignoring problems or making excuses. Even worse, conflict ignored is conflict multiplied, so if the conflict has been going on for a while, chances are your church is a toxic family system, even as it shrinks in size.
That raises the question: If leaders know there is a problem, why isn’t anyone being an adult and doing something about it?
___25. There is no sense of urgency and passion to reach lost souls.
In Matthew 28:16, Jesus calls us to carry out the Great Commission, to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to observe all that Christ has commanded. Dying churches do not have this as a high priority.
How many of these describe your church: __ out of 25?
Hopefully this can spur you and the leadership of your church to consider your current state, what you would like to become in the near future, and how you can get there, starting with the Lord!
Coming soon: 25 Signs of a Healthy Church!
Sources:
15 Signs of a Dying Church & What to Do About It
Three Symptoms of a Dying Church
7 Symptoms of a Dying Church & How to Address Them
5 Signs of a Dying Church
14 Signs Your Church Is Dying
Ten signs your church may be dying
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