“You’ve attended our church. You’ve met us. We want to do better than we’re doing. What can we do to start growing?”
That’s the question I often hear from the pastor or members of a struggling church.
But before getting to the “what do we do” conversation, the “why are we here” needs clarity. Churches lose their way because they’ve lost their “why.”
Conflict erodes trust and deflates morale. Bylaw arguments burn time and energy. The pastor believes the next program is the fix.
We focus on symptoms rather than solutions when we lose our way. But when you rediscover your “why,” you will find your way.
Back to the first question. What is a struggling church to do? Here are four simple priorities that will move your church toward health.
1. Learn to pray together, out loud, and often. Most churches do not pray together. There is little emphasis or energy for prayer. It’s usually perfunctory and passionless.
However, we do not pray just because we should. We pray because we must. The mission of the church to move people from death to life is only possible through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Make disciple-making the main thing. There is a common strategy that goes like this: “We are a small church and can’t afford a youth minister.”
Stop it! The best way to find a youth minister is to make one. We don’t find leaders; we make them. We don’t find disciples; we make them. The point is not to hire disciple makers. The core mission of your church is to make disciples.
3. Give attention to leaders and leadership. The modern church in America has relied on a paid church staff. So, when a pastor resigns, a church may be tempted to settle for a good man, but a good man is not necessarily the right man.
Instead of settling for whatever pastor you can find, begin by asking your congregation members to pray about people they know who are already in the community or in their circle of relationships.
For the small church, a full-time pastor is likely not necessary. So, don’t let finances be a determining factor. Whether full-time or part-time, you want the right man to lead you.
4. Serve neighbors for their success. Churches that want to grow assume they need to duplicate programs or events that larger churches offer.
Again, stop it! Don’t do that.
Instead, pray that God will lead your church to find one local “pocket of vulnerability” in your community where you can help your neighbors be successful.
Often, our invitations to strangers feel like we are asking them to help us.
So, do something that communicates your only intention is to help your neighbor. Your church cannot do everything and should not try. But find one small thing.
The Lord works.
There are no quick fixes for church health, and these four priorities are just a starting point. But when a church decides to do what it was created to do, the Lord works through simple means to do powerful things.
— Daryl Crouch is the Strengthening Healthy Churches Initiatives leader for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. This article originally appeared in the Baptist and Reflector.