Another Funeral

 I'm grieved today. Saddened by another death and another funeral. Don't get me wrong. I am not grieving the death of a person. I'm grieving the death of a church. To be more accurate, the death of multiple churches. I read a sobering statistic that in one denomination alone 900 churches close their doors every year. It is sad. 

I think about the excitement among the people who started those churches. With great hopes and optimism they felt the call of God to begin their church. A handful of charter members dreamed God's dream to start a Bible believing church. They prayed, sacrificed, and labored to see those churches established. People were saved. Ministries were started. Facilities were built. All with such high hopes. I bet not one person ever dreamed a day would come when the doors would shut forever. God is not glorified when that happens. 

Sadly, I have been a part of two such churches. Both of them were churches Brenda and I started. Both started with great enthusiasm and high hopes. In the end, both fizzled in finances and effectiveness. I walked away from both of those churches with a symbolic imaginary "F" stamped on my forehead standing for failure. I often wonder why we ever felt called to those tasks when God knew beforehand they would not succeed. 

Churches die for many reasons. The primary reason is that they forget the main thing. Go make disciples. When churches lose that primary vision of making disciples who go and make other disciples, that congregation will die a slow death. Members will age. Younger families will not come and take on roles of leadership. People retire. The finances dwindle. The facilities show wear and tear. There is no longer a volunteer base to lead different ministries. If no new disciples are reached, the church will not survive. 

It's tragic and a bad reflection on God. What does the closure of a church communicate to a community? That God was not strong enough to sustain His work? That people were not committed enough to keep the work alive? Neither bring glory to God. 

I mentioned earlier that one denomination reported 900 churches closing each year. I also read another report that estimates there are as high as 15,000 churches shutting down across denominational lines in North America in 2025. It is tragic. I spent a great deal of time praying about it this morning how I can be a part of helping. For years I carried a burden for church planting. I still believe there is a need for that in places. I think there is an equal or greater need to replant and revitalize dying churches. I have done both. Planting and replanting churches are both hard. In my opinion, replanting is harder and more strategic. 

It is harder because of traditions, bad church history, bad past leadership, and people are set in their ways. Yet, one advantage is established churches has facility that already exists. One of the great challenges of church planting is finding a place to meet. In our church planting efforts, we met in a student building on a college campus, two different school cafeterias, a football stadium, a daycare, a warehouse, and a living room. Finding space for a new church is always a challenge. If thousands of churches are closing the doors, then thousands of places already exist. These spaces could be available  if someone is willing to do the prayerful and hard work to see them revitalized. 

I pray God raises people who catch a burden and call from God to go alone beside a dying church to trust God to revive them. It will take brave warriors who are filled with faith unphased by the many challenges. What glory God will get when the trend changes When hundreds and thousands of churches are saved from closing their doors. God will always get more glory for reviving a church than for one dying. That is a funeral I hope to avoid in the future.