The Survivor Church
Just like with humans, churches go through a natural life cycle of birth, growth and expansion, stability, decline and eventually death. The difference between humans and churches is that a healthy church has the capacity to refocus and reinvent itself when it begins to decline and does not have to proceed to the stage of a dead church. The problem is that many churches do not understand this process and fall victim to the natural flow of time and indifference.
Statistics from church growth experts tell us that 80-90% of all churches are either plateaued or in a state of decline. When a church is in one of these two stages, it is possible to refocus the church on their original mission of reaching the lost and discipling others in the context of authentic worship and supportive relationships.
Is your church on the downward slope of decline? Don't wait too late because things will not get better. When a church enters the state of decline, there must be a strategic change of course by the leadership to help the church understand where they are and where they want to go. Many times it requires the church to call in a church health consultant who as an outsider can give an objective consultation of the issues to be addressed and to help formulate a plan of action.
Over the last decade the concept of a "church restart" has gained popularity and some support. The idea is that a church would find a way to celebrate the history and contributions of the church and the people to the community. Some churches have even go so far as to have a funeral for the church or some other type of ceremony symbolizing the death of the end of this churches ministry. Often times there is then a period where the church building is formally closed with no services while a new leader and leadership team formulate the vision for a new church. After a period of vision casting, the new church is started.
Every day in America many churches close their doors for the last time. If your church is in a state of decline and just barely hanging on for survival, pray about how God can use your legacy to launch a different type of church using your facilities. Remember it is about kingdom work not about my church.
