Hope for the Church (Part 2) The Price the People Must Pay

Some churches are flourishing in this culture at this time, but in this very same setting the attendance in the vast majority of congregations is on a plateau or declining. This is the second in a series of postings that offer some practical guides for declining or plateaued congregations that want to become places that change lives and their communities by making disciples. Last time, I wrote about the price the pastor must pay; this week it’s the price the congregation must pay to restore hope for the future of the church.

The price a congregation must pay if there is hope for the church

1. The people must truly want new people to become part of their church family. People in some congregations have an intense love for the folks in their church. The church has become a second, and in some cases a first, family for them. This is wonderful for the members, but, if that family feeling includes excluding new people, it’s dangerous for the Kingdom of God. The church should have a family feel, but if it hopes to fulfill its great commission, it must be a family that is open to new members. Not only must the established members welcome visitors and new members, it needs to be anxious for new folks to become part of the family.

2. The people must be willing to make changes. First, it is important to know for sure that the one thing that can never change is the wonderful message of the Gospel. However, the way the message is delivered and packaged needs to be continually changed to keep it relevant to the people God wants your church to reach for Him. Churches find it hard to change. One of the reasons is that they find it almost impossible to stop doing what they have done before, even if a program lost its effectiveness long ago. It’s hard to start new efforts when the church calendar is cluttered with events and old programs.

3. The congregation pays a price by surrendering leadership to leaders, particularly the pastor. This may seem like a no-brainer to some, but it’s very hard for many congregations. Congregations are led by various things. Sometimes it’s the past. Perhaps the church has had some glory days and it attempts to repeat those wonderful times by doing the same things. The problem with that is the culture and their community keeps changing. In other churches, a pastor once did something bad and caused the church a lot of grief, so they want to make sure that doesn’t happen again. As a result of their distrust of anyone in the position of pastor, there is very little real leadership (by the pastor) taking place. In other congregations, there is an influential family, or person who is the acknowledged leaders. Too often this person or family refuses to let anything, or anyone threaten their position of power, and they see a pastor who leads as a threat. If a congregation truly desires to get off its plateau or turn around from dying, it has to pay the price of allowing the pastor to be the real leader.

4. The people must be willing to be trained and to work. The pastor’s job as shepherd is to lead the church. The job of staff is to manage the various ministries of the church. And the role of the members of the church is to do the ministry. (Don’t believe me? Check out Ephesians 4:11-12.) Too many congregations believe that it’s the job of the pastor and staff to do everything, but that’s not the way God planned the church. Ask many members what ministry they do in their church and they will tell you about a committee that they’re on. The extent of their idea of their ministry is to attend committee meetings. My experience tells me that a great majority of committee meetings are not ministry; they are bureaucracy. If the church is to win the world, the people need to discover their spiritual gifts, hone those gifts with training, and then actively pursue an area of ministry that requires their gifts and training.

5. The people need to accept God’s vision for their congregation with enthusiasm. The vision that God gives them through their pastor may well be different from what they have seen before. The pastor will ask the church for input, but when it comes to the future of the church, the input that really counts is God’s input. You have a say, the pastor has a say, but the vision must come from God. The congregation that is plateaued, or declining, should expect the vision to challenge them to do something new. Don’t make the pastor have to pull and prod you to do what God has assigned the church to do. The pastor should lead the church like a shepherd leads sheep. He should not have to drive the church like a cowboy drives cattle.

6. The people must pay the price of sacrificial giving. Increasing the influence of the church so that it can make more disciples costs money. Church members should arrange their personal finances so that they can give 10%, and sometimes more, of their income to the church. Also, church members need to remind themselves that when they give money to the church it is God’s. Some want to attach strings to their gifts. By doing so, these members are seeking to control the vision and the future of the church. Make sure that your tithes, offerings and gifts are given to the church to be used as God sees fit. It is sad to see a congregation unable to seize an opportunity that God has laid before it because all of its savings are designated for someone’s favorite project. Give it to God. Pray for the leadership of the church. Trust God to lead the leadership.

7. The congregation must do all it can to keep the pastor long enough to see the trajectory of the church change. Even in the best circumstances, change takes time. Churches that change pastors often, almost never grow, and almost always lose influence in their community. It only takes a small minority of people in the church to dishearten a pastor and make him/her want to find somewhere else to minister. Pastors become open to the possibility of moving because of the pain generated by unrelentingly difficult people. Your pastor, particularly in a church that votes their pastor in, is God’s gift to the church. He should stay until God removes him. The congregation should do its best to make a long stay with them a pleasant prospect for the pastor and his family. Pay him as well as you can. Encourage him to take his vacation time. Provide money and time for him to take training and find spiritual refreshment. Protect him from any people associated with your congregation who somehow feel it is their duty to make life hard for the pastor. The church should hold the pastor accountable to live a moral live, take care of his/her family, and lead the congregation to accomplish the goals that will enable it to fulfill God’s vision. It should also love him and reward him when he/she does a good job. Most of all, the congregation should pray for their pastor and his/her family.

I encourage and welcome your comments.

Next time we’ll look at “The Price of Having the Right Priorities.”