Today, half of all churchgoers in the United States attend the largest 10 percent of churches. What often goes unoticed, however, are the fifty smaller churches that close their doors every week.- Skye Jethani, The Divine Commodity, p. 89
Do you think this is a problem? If so, why? What do you think it signifies about the church in the United States?
5 comments:
It is a tragedy when some churches close, but I think other "churches" deserve to close. And before anyone takes offense at that second part, note that I put "churches" in quotation marks. When gathered people cease to proclaim the gospel, when they fail to love each other, and when they no longer repent for their sins, then they aren't a church and it's probably better that they close than to perpetuate a false gospel.
How do we stop the decline? I think a large part is education. Churches close because people think church life is supposed to be easy with a bunch of people like them and no one different. If, instead, we taught on true biblical community that brings together those that are different than us in service to a risen Lord, then people wouldn't be so easy to jump ship once things become tough. Course, that also assumes that people stop acting like selfish people :)
The church is a body.
Like all bodies, cells die off and are regrown all the time.
I think if it isn't tragic it is at least sad. Very sad.
I grew up in small church. Amazing friends, amazing experience that cannot be replicated in a large church.
Mega churches are swallowing up small churches. Less pastors. Less salt in communities. Big Churches then plant churches because they are too big.
I echo the thoughts of the first Chris (above). Some churches *should* close, if the Gospel is no longer preached there (or perhaps never was), and if its members have ceased to live (or maybe never did live) Gospel-centered lives of love for each other and for non-Christians.
On the other hand, as Chris also wrote, it is very sad when some churches close. Maybe some of the members want softer, more "comfortable" (i.e. less Bible-centered, Gospel-centered) sermons, or more rockin' worship songs, and the megachurch down the street has those things-- and so the smaller church grows smaller still? (Not that this is always the case, but it could be, in more than a few cases.)
I would be interested to know the average number of people in attendance (and also, the membership, if they practice it) of the "largest 10 percent" of megachurches mentioned here, to which apparently half of all American churchgoers go. Would Desert Springs Church fit in this category? Would Capitol Hill Baptist, my former church? Above all, I hope that the true Biblical Gospel is being preached in these churches-- especially if they may be indirectly helping to cause the death of some smaller churches.
A lot of the problem with megachurches and the death of smaller churches may have to do with the American tendency to view "bigger" as better-- and also perhaps "newer" and "shinier" as better. Oh, that we would not forsake Biblical preaching and community for larger crowds and "better-looking" facilities at the church down the street!
Chris and others have already made such great comments that I'm not sure if I can add much.
One thing that may be looked at is why there are so many church assemblies. Some exist because of church splits. Some splits are good -- those over true vs. false doctrine, for example, or the move of some in a church to plant a church in another part of town to be accessible to neighborhoods. Others are trivial -- padding of pews, color of carpet, or even musical style (rather than substance). I wonder just how long some of the "bad" splinter churches last, before they close, or splinter yet again.
Another issue may be giving, financially as well as of our gifts and time. In some of the great small (and large) churches I've been, I've seen the church, the people, actively working, volunteering, leading. I've been in and been aware of other churches, however, where the pastor (usually 1), deacons and church staff are expected to do everything. So some churches may close due to fizzle out or burn out that result from not giving and not seeing giving properly.
Then there are small, faithful churches which, as other comments said, get subsumed or consumed by newer, bigger churches -- some of which are faithful to Bible preaching and teaching, and others are either less so, or not.
As an aside, I went and found the song "Little Brown Church in the Dale". It's a nice little song, but ... you know, it really says nothing about the Gospel, about the Grace of God. It just talks about fond memories of going to an old country church. I guess there were social gatherings and potlucks to be enjoyed there, but what else?
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