Declining church attendance - what to do?

I thought Paul had a good suggestion in 2 Tim 4 when he said "But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." This immediately follows the context of chapter 3 where he outlines the kind of things that characterize the last days. However long those last days might be, we are certainly living in them.

When I was flying, my instructor told me a little thing about "chasing the needle." When using radios for navigation there is a little needle in the cockpit that tells you what direction to fly to stay on course. Instructors teach you to make gentle corrections rather than severe ones because severe ones will make you fly past the needle (line of intended flight) and then you have to correct back the other way. If you keep your mind set on the ultimate goal (not the needle but the destination) then you get where you want much better.

Too many churches today are "chasing the needle." They see declining attendance and try think the needle (attendance/people) needs to be chased. We need to keep our eyes on the goal of fervent, God-centered evangelism. WE need to call people to biblical discipleship. And we need to realize that most people won't want it.

 

I have found that when people sense the genuine spirit of God on the Throne of our hearts and we have that unmistakingly compassion for people they know all too well whether we're genuine or not. If we will learn that people have been disassociated by less than committed members who may or even may not have a callous attitude towards the things of God, it should prompt us to be real.

Letting the Lord work in us and through us works. I'm afraid we like to say the Lord is using us but the results indicate more than we like to admit.

I know there are those who say,"If the Lord doesn't bring them in, they just won't come." (What a sorry,flippant attitude rooted in the heart of disobedience.) The Lord told us to go out and compel them to come in, but instead, though we're out there trying to drag them to church, we should acknowledge the sense of "compelling" is to have earnest desire for them to know Who we know and why they too should come to such a festive occasion as the House of God, to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

If we'd learn to just be ourselves and quit putting on the act of trying to be somebody we're not they see the real us, but the thing is, do we want them to see what we really are?

Warren Wiersbe has a book of a series called "Be Real". Suggested reading for any Christian.

When people do come to our churches, do they find God's people in the spirit of worship? Or do they just find us in thye "same old song and dance routine"?

I like it when I get to church and God's there! And people whether they are saved or lost know it too!

A good report of the "meeting" will attract others, but a dead and callous attitude won't attract even the most aware of their need, but God has drawn them in spite of the deadness and dryness of our services.

Just a note for you that think I'm going charismatic on you, You're nuts! The Baptist were shouting, praising, and lifting up holy hands to our King Supernal long before the charismatic crowd crawled out from under their rock and if we're going to let them steal our worship practice away from us then go ahead and roll over and die. You might keep the doors open through family members and friends, but God wants us to compel them all to come.

It does every Christian unbelievable good to humble himself and pray by getting down on his knees and pleading with the Lord to use them "for" His honour and Glory!(I know weverybody may not be physically able to get on their knees, (and get back up), but spiritually we can, even if we're bed ridden and laying flat on our backs)

Makes the difference at our church and no we're not growing into two services a day and packing them out for SS, but God meets us there!

Bring people to a program, and they'll come till the program gets old and tiresome, bring people to God, He never grows old and is NEVER tiresome!

 

I am inclined to think it is weeding out of those not truly converted. I would appeal to 1 John 2:19 for that. There could be some who drop out for a while and come back. When people drop out, we do need to go after tham and call them to repentance and find out where they are an how we can help them.

 

Here's an interesting article related to the numbers game.

http://www.injoy.com/thepastorscoach/

Rob

 

I read somewhere that more people are attending mosque (Islam) in the uk than are attending Christian churches. Any truth to this statement?

 

Declining church attendance - what to do?
That's easy: The churches should attend to the needs of the people. That is sadly lacking in much of Europe.

 

If I am faithful to the few or with little, then I can be trusted with more.

If I am not even faithful with few or with little, then I can't be trusted with more.

I don't mind having little and I do have little. There is promise if I can just be faithful with the little that I have been given. I'm not going to fly over my mission field to get to someone else's mission field.

Dave.

 

It is surprising that many churches are not all that aware of why it is that people have left them, much less do anything about it. I would think that at least having discussion on the subject would be a good start.

Consider the visitor's point of view. I once went to a very nice Baptist Church here. Yet I was handed a hymn book and that was my contact with them. Nobody came and said hello or made any attempt to make me feel welcome, needless to say I never went back. The scary thing is that that same scenario is repeated every Sunday in many many churches.

It is all good for us being that we have our circle of friends and stuff, but often we are not all that concerned about others.

I know one lady who comes to my church who telephoned several churches in the area and asked if one of them could have a member pick her up as she had no transport. Various groups actually refused, simply because they could not be bothered. She came to this church and is really involved in it now and a valued member.

I am sure that the list of how churches treat people could go on and on. Yet for all of us if we are serious about having more people in our churches, it starts by ensuring that your church is a place where friendship is offered and people are at the very least made to feel welcome. If the church coud just do that one thing, I am sure that we could come close to doubling our numbers overnight.

 

Meeting the needs of the people begs the question:"What are their real needs?" The secular secular unbeliever today want's his "felt" needs met-- but doesn't "feel" that he needs the gospel or the God of the gospel.So- what should we give them? A gospel that meets "felt needs"? Who'se at the center of that?In this day of the great "falling away" we must stick to the gospel message and trust God to draw in those who will hear.(He might just use personal relationships and invitations, tho').If we believe that Ruth is a type of the church, we must realize that she was gleaning, not harvesting.Tough days we live in, but we still have the "Blessed Hope".

 

I appreciate this thread and the thoughts in it. We are in a church plant work in Ireland and it has been a roller coaster ministry. Right now we are at a down point in the work. We had a bunch leave one time because we did not meet their "needs" but their needs were a totally different worship style than I feel is right or biblical.

What people really "need" is the Word of God. Sadly, so few realise that as a need and have a lat of wants. I don't know how one can hold the line with the Word of God and meet everyone's wants. This group who left said that we were too focused on the written word and they needed the freedom to allow the Holy Spirit to work beyond the written Word.

 

Christ-centered preaching.

Others-centered living.

It's a hard combination to find in most churches today. I imagine that accounts for the loss of the "disillusioned".

Tim

 

Maybe not totally missing, but maybe easily overlooked as not big or "massive" enough, not advertised enough, not on TV enough, not controversial enough, not political enough, or any other not ______ enough to matter (to man).

In search of the Kingdom,

Dave.