Hey Friend -

​Last email, I shared a story about a workshop conversation. A participant worried that their church, focusing on reaching new people, would leave older members in the dust. I've heard it before, but it made me start thinking about why it is a common worry.

This sort of conversation is more complicated than we realize.

• The fear of being left out is real.
• The need for a missional priority for reaching new people is real.
• Church leaders have to navigate both of these fears.

I shared some survey data where we learn that many people believe the church exists to either produce a worship service or provide for members' needs.

I left the email asking the question, “What is the function of the church?”

I finished reading Aubrey Malphur's massive book, Advanced Strategic Planning, last month. This book was THE church revitalization manual two decades ago. It is dated, and I do have some disagreements with it, but I do think Malphur makes a great point. He writes, “I believe that a ministry with a single towering value is in danger of being a “niche” ministry church…such a church tends to be Biblically imbalanced.”

I want to challenge you on this "single towering value" idea.

The “single towering value” in many struggling churches is meeting the needs of their existing members. It is biblically imbalanced. To neglect evangelism (and mission as part of it) is a rejection of the Great Commission in Matthew 28.

I’m not alone in this assessment. Malphurs notes, “and some churches' missions, often but not always smaller churches, is fellowship.” Tom Mercer writes about this as well.

”I’ve been in a few fellowship churches. You know the type, where the biggest thing on the calendar is the next potluck fellowship. It’s all about getting from one social event to the next. Electing officers. Lots of committees. “Let’s get this service over with so we can all get to the Fellowship Hall!” Or, “We can’t start a second worship service—if we do, we’ll divide the congregation.” Or, “We don’t like the fact that the church has gotten so big—we don’t know everybody’s name anymore!”

When internal care, existing relationships, and care for the building are the unspoken but real mission of the church, there is a problem. This shift makes sense.

For most of the 19th century, local churches were an anchor point for the entire community. In the mid-20th century, churches became places where people connected. This was especially true for the new generation returning from World War 2. In the late 20th century, communities began to change. Children grew into adults and moved for better job possibilities. The church became the last space left for those living through change.

Understanding this helps us shift from emotionalism or anxiety to a strategic talk about re-missioning local churches.

More often than not, when I sit down to work with churches, I see symptoms of this problem. It confirms Lesslie Newbigin’s assessment in the last email. The late 20th-century church is the last dinosaur of Christendom. It exists mainly for the care and benefit of its members.

Sometimes these churches seem out of date. I agree…but not in the way many would point out. I don’t primarily look at facilities, worship, or communication style.

I look at the church's focus.

Signs indicate whether a church centers inwardly.

• Our "what about our seniors" statement. (Read the last email about what this can mean).
• The church values memorials more than facility updates.
• Missing age groups in discipleship.
• Leadership pays close attention to personal preference and satisfaction.
• Lack of new people participating in the life of the church.
• The church calendar shows that most of the programming is fellowship based.
• Mission isn't a congregational value, but the pet project of a few people and adopted by the local church as "their" ministry.

Healthy churches started shifting to a mission-driven, evangelism-focused order decades ago. Churches struggling with sustainability haven’t made this shift yet.

Remember, the key idea of my category of “unstable” is that the current ministry of the church is actively contributing towards its decline. (See my book Is My Church Healthy for a deep dive on the unstable category.)

This internal-only focus, while appearing to be well-meaning, is hurting the church at best. At worst, it goes against the Great Commission given to us by Jesus in Matthew 28.

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely always I am with you, to the end of the age.

But we have to make sure not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

To neglect relationships is to neglect the fullness of this mandate Jesus gave to His disciples in the kingdom. This inward focus I’ve been writing about isn’t wrong, but we've allowed it to become misguided.

Next email, I’ll be going deeper into how the Great Commission is a call to kingdom-focused relationships.

Chad

Do you work or serve at a church that is anxious about its sustainability and growth? I wrote a book JUST for you! Is My Church Healthy? walks the reader through the very first tool I use in my work as a Congregational Vitality Strategist with The Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. It focuses on helping churches create an objective understanding of their current situation and provides practical tips for achieving stability. You can get it here -> https://amzn.to/3HkPK3H​

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