The scene at the beginning of Acts 2 is really quite extraordinary. A city that had executed the Man it had previously welcomed in with palm branches and songs, now sits perplexed at the tongues His Apostles spoke in. Peter’s sermon on Pentecost pricked the hearts of many present, as they realized this Man was indeed the Son of God. By the end of the day, nearly 3,000 souls would be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:37-42); a few chapters later, another 2,000 would be added (Acts 4:1-4).
But where is the church in Jerusalem now? A cursory search on google will reveal various denominations that are present within her borders, but no unified body of believers like the one we read about in Acts. Where did they all go?
Unfortunately, the decline of a congregation is not unique to the city of Jerusalem.
Drive through any small town in America, and you are more than likely going to come across a church building that once housed a group very similar to yours. It had a beginning, most likely with great enthusiasm for the possibilities that lay ahead, and it had an end, when the last ones decided to shut the doors for good.
I understand that life cycles of a congregation are a very real thing (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8), and much of its decline is passive to the members. Maybe the local industry left and the town died, or maybe it was a more aggressive downfall, such as a violent church split (as if there is a split that isn’t violent). Regardless, the ones who remain at the closing usually begin to wonder the age-old question: where did we go wrong?
I’m no fortune-teller, but here are some tell-tale signs that your church is about to become the next one to shut it’s doors:
1. You’ve Neglected the Younger People.
There’s a reason they call them the “church of the future,” and that’s because a time will come when you, personally, will no longer be around to keep things running. Even Moses needed a Joshua to help the Israelites enter the Promised Land, and a church that neglects and disregards the training of their young people will ultimately see those same young people leave.
2. You’ve Come Up With Your Own Doctrine.
Ephesians Four is clear that unity is paramount to a healthy church, but unity around what? My opinion about how the world should turn? What makes my opinion any better than Back-Row Joe who has been here all of three months? If you want a sure-fire plan to destroy a local congregation, come up with an opinion, believe it to be doctrine, and dis-fellowship everyone that disagrees with you.
3. You’ve Stopped Attending Services.
This one is a definite face-palm, but when the congregants stop congregating, the congregation dies – it’s as simple as that. The preaching might be fantastic, the parking lot may be freshly paved, but when a local body of believers doesn’t value their time spent together worshipping God, a “for sale” sign is not far behind.
4. You’ve Ignored Problems.
I get it, it’s never fun to address issues that everyone knows are bubbling beneath the surface. But without fail, a neglected problem will blow up in everyone’s face and cause a bigger issue than it could have at the beginning. Perceptive elders will identify potential issues, or at the very least, acknowledge them when they start to brew, and address them properly. To ignore problems is to invite discord.
5. You’ve “Aimed to Maintain.”
There could be any number of possibilities for why a church grows, and some may have nothing to do with evangelism: economic growth, discord at other churches, etc. The problem with that is it usually masks the lack of outreach, and the church is happy to “rest on their laurels” (Jeremiah 45:11; Haggai 1:2-6), not wanting to disturb the peace. Content with the steady, passive growth, the congregation will wonder why it eventually ceases to build. Instead, use the momentum to push the church forward, rather than relying on external factors to do your work for you.
