No good Christian wants their church to die. The idea should bring sorrow to our hearts. However, some people attend churches and are even “members” of churches that are not saved or are, at the very least, very sinful Christians who contribute to their church dying.
While this is not meant to be an exhaustive list, I will highlight some of the groups that show up the most in dying churches. These groups truly only care about their power or position, and the church itself is thought about the least. There is no honoring of Christ in their hearts, and they certainly do not submit to Him as Lord in or outside the church.
Group #1 – The Selfish Group
This Group’s Idol – Self
This group treats a church like a country club where they pay their “dues” to get certain perks. They couldn’t care less about anyone else getting anything out of it as long as they get what’s “due” to them. They will find their way into positions of power and only support that which benefits themselves. This type of personality needs to be recognized and warned against. People acting in this manner need to be called to repentance.
Group #2 – The “We Want To Grow” Group
This Group’s Idol – Numeric Growth
This group’s idol is numeric growth because they see it as the sole indicator of success. What happens is that all decisions become a function of growth. Therefore, unless it will contribute to more people entering and joining the church, it’s not worth pursuing. This inevitably leads to sin, disobeying God’s Word, and spiritual bankruptcy on the altar of numeric growth.
Group #3 – The “We Will Lose People” Group
This Group’s Idol – Numeric Growth
This group has a lot in common with the previous group. Their idol is numeric growth, but rather than focus on growing, they focus on not shrinking. Their biggest fear is losing people because, in their minds, it is some sort of commentary on them. Therefore, they will do anything and refuse to do anything that would actually or potentially cause anyone to want to leave. This group will respond to faithful, God-Centered leadership, claiming, “Well, we can’t do that because people might leave!” Or, they will claim, “Well, you will get resistance if you do that, and we can’t afford another church split!”
Group #4 – The “We Have Always Done It This Way” Group
This Group’s Idol – Nostalgia
This last group purports to be neutral or have a high degree of “care and concern” for the church. They champion themselves as the ones who warn everyone against change because change is the ultimate evil in their minds. Their idol is nostalgia. They romanticize a generation gone by and claim that only by returning to it they will be successful. While they outwardly claim not to like change, they will change anything that benefits or comes from them. This group tends to impose the slowest death on a church because it goes largely unnoticed until it is too late.
