Then their churches began to reverse their declines and stagnations.

None of the pastors I interviewed were new at their churches. None of the churches had relocated in recent years. And none of the communities in which the churches were located had grown dramatically.

So what happened at these churches?

All of the pastors were careful to give glory to God. Most of them articulated that their stories were not ones of mere methodological devices. But they did have six common themes worth noting.

1. They led the church to become highly intentional about starting new groups. The fewest groups started by any one of the churches were four in a one-year period. These churches were serious about new groups, and most of them saw that, at least from a human perspective, as the primary source of turnaround growth.
2. They led the church to a culture of inviting people. These pastors expressed amazement at how many people started coming to their churches simply because they were invited. To be clear, this type of invitation was personal, from a member to someone else. It was not some type of major commercial marketing initiative. Some of the churches had a big event, “invite-a-friend-day,” to kickoff this new culture of inviting.
3. They began new member classes. These classes set the tone for new members. They established the expectations for new members. After a few months of these classes, many of the pastors begin to notice an attitudinal change toward the positive among the members.
4. They began a major community ministry. Some of the churches “adopted” local schools. Some of the leaders made appointments with key civic leaders to find out how their churches could best help the community. In all cases, church members got out of the comfort of the church buildings and went into the community to serve others.
5. They began to pray for the lost and unchurched by name. For many of the churches, this type of praying was a first. Most of them attested that it seemed awkward at first, but it later became a part of their Great Commission culture.
6. The leaders began to focus less on negative people and circumstances and more on God’s possibilities. The leaders became, in God’s power, people of faith instead of people of fear. This spirit of faith became pervasive in the churches. Many of the churches saw a negative and unbelieving church culture become a positive and faith-believing culture.

Nine out of ten churches in America are either declining or growing more slowly than the communities in which they are located. In other words, most churches are losing ground in their communities.

But, in the midst of all the bad news about churches, we do see more and more beacons of light. I was delighted and encouraged to hear these stories of turnaround churches and what they are doing. I plan to report on other churches in the future.

So what do you think of these turnaround factors? Have you seen them at work in other churches? Do you have any similar stories from your church? What is God using most effectively in your church to reach people with the love and the power of the gospel?

Pastor: Michael D. Stover

Worship Times: 11:00 AM (Central Time)

Fast Facts: Pray for Ararat Baptist Church as they seek to share the gospel at the Travel America Travel Center at exit 68 off of I-40 in Jackson, Tennessee. They hold a chapel service there each Sunday morning at 9:00 AM.

At 9:30 AM each Sunday, the church holds another chapel service in their ministry center in the Whispering Pines Community in West Madison County. The church also provides a homework assistance program for students in this community on Tuesday afternoons and a ladies coffee fellowship on Thursday mornings.

Please pray that relationships will be built with the residents of the Whispering Pines Community so that the gospel might be shared for God’s glory.

Website: AraratBaptistChurch.com

“Pray for . . .” is the Sunday blog series at ThomRainer.com. We encourage you to pray for these churches noted every Sunday. Please feel free to comment that you are praying as well. 

But the conviction to write it is too great. I pray that God will use it for His glory, and that I will not be an impediment to His work.

Here is the simple thesis: There is a growing tension between some pastors and some laity in churches across America. It is not pervasive, but it’s growing. Frankly, I don’t even like the seemingly opposing labels of pastors and laity. I just don’t know how to describe the groups otherwise.

This tension is like the family secret that no one mentions explicitly, but many speak around it and near it. And this tension is growing.

Anecdotal Evidence

Hardly a day goes by that I don’t hear a layperson expressing some level of concern about pastors in his or her church. Likewise, and with similar frequency, pastors share with me their growing frustration with laypersons in the church.

How pervasive is this tension? I would be surprised if it includes as much as 25 percent of all churchgoers. But the number is high enough that the tension is often palpable. And I have little doubt that the tension is higher today than it was just a year ago.

I also have little doubt that this tension is one of the most effective tools used by Satan to distract from those things that are of Kingdom importance. It’s hard to be focused on the Great Commission when you are focused on a negative attribute of someone else in your church.

What Are The Pastors Saying?

Those pastors who are expressing displeasure with their laity are usually doing so in four major areas of concern:

• The critics. A small number of laypersons are highly critical of pastors. They may be relatively few in number but their words sting.
• The silent majority. For some pastors, it’s not the critics who bother them, but the rest of the congregation that’s unwilling to confront the critics with their divisive words and actions.
• The apathetic. Some pastors are frustrated that so many church members are not giving and serving in the church. They are willing to sit on the sidelines and let a very small minority lead and give.
• The self-serving members. Again, a number of pastors express frustration that some members are more concerned about the church meeting their own needs and preferences. They will fight for a preferred worship style, but not share the gospel one time in the course of a year.

Pastors, I get it. Every one of those concerns is legitimate. But do you know what? Ministry is messy. Ministry deals with imperfect people just like you. The reality is that these “problem” members are usually a small minority, but you may have a tendency to focus on their negativity rather than leading the church forward.

God called you to ministry to love even the unlovable unconditionally. You can’t develop a negative or bitter attitude toward anyone in your congregation and lead effectively. It’s time to put the frustration behind, and love them even as Christ loved you. And remember: Christ died on a cross for imperfect people like you and me.

What Are the Laypersons Saying?

Though it’s probably a relatively small minority, a growing number of laypersons are complaining about pastors. The complaints I hear usually come in one of five areas:

• The autocratic and abusive pastor. “He steps on people for his own agenda. His overarching concern is getting his way at most any cost.”
• The non-leading pastor. “Our church is in the doldrums because the pastor simply won’t lead. He either doesn’t have leadership skills, or he is fearful to use them.”
• The change-agent pastor. “He has led and introduced change too rapidly. Our church just isn’t what it used to be.”
• The non-pastoral care pastor. “He doesn’t visit us. He doesn’t care for us. He fails to take care of the members of the church.”
• The bad preacher pastor. “His sermons are lacking. I’m just not getting fed by his messages.”

Layperson, you too have legitimate concerns. Indeed if you are in one of the few churches led by an autocratic and abusive pastor, it’s time to leave. But most of your other concerns are related to the pastor’s gift set. You want him to be an incredible leader, a perfect counselor, and a phenomenal preacher. You want him both omnipresent and omnicompetent.

You could say that the concerns expressed are connected to needs not getting met. Instead of coming to the church to serve, some laypersons are in the church to be served. They want a perfect pastor, but they are unwilling to pray for him and see the struggles he experiences daily. Very few people understand the demands on his life and time.

The Great Distraction

As long as Satan is able to pit pastor against parishioner, and vice versa, the focus will be on the feud rather than the Great Commission. In most cases, both sides are at fault. The antagonists are focused on themselves rather than the other person.

This tension is still at a relatively low level. But, because it is growing, I feel it is important to sound the alarm on this great distraction.

The solution is simple: In God’s power, focus on the needs and concerns of others rather than your own, whether you are a pastor or a layperson. Learn to be totally self-giving and sacrificial. Then, and only then, will this growing tension abate.

Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus (Philippians 2: 3-5, HCSB).

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When I first wrote An Autopsy of a Deceased Church, I thought it had potential to strike a chord with readers. I had no idea the response would be as overwhelming as it has been. This week’s podcast episode deals with the three major themes that led to the death of a church I had consulted a decade ago. Those themes were:

1. The church became inwardly focused.
2. Self-centeredness won the day.
3. The church forgot their mission.

In light of those themes, this week’s episode further explores the original post as well as the following topics related to church health:

• The first step to evaluate your church’s health.
• Why a pastor should not do church health evaluations on his own and why a team should be involved instead.
• Advice on hiring church consultants. Should you or not?
• Advice for the “good and faithful church member” who is part of a dying church and wants to see it revived.

Finally, don’t miss the discussion about church signage and visitors. I’ve written on this issue before (part one, part two), but it bears repeating: When a guest has a good experience, he or she is more likely to return. So be sure that your facilities are well-maintained and inviting.

Episode Sponsor

This week’s podcast is brought to you by Auxano and the Vision Room. VisionRoom.com is an online gathering of articles, tools and resources designed for church leaders like you who value vision clarity and want to live out that vision in meaningful ways. For more information visit VisionRoom.com.

Feedback

If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free autographed copy of I Am a Church Member.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• I Am a Church Member by Thom Rainer
• VisionRoom.com
• Auxano

First is a signed copy of my new book I Am a Church Member. Based on an idea originally taken from this blog, I Am a Church Member discusses the attitudes and responsibilities of church members. I address in detail what congregations should really be focusing on—praying for church leaders, being a functioning member, treasuring church membership, and more.

Also included this week is a Bible Study Insider package. Bible Study Insider is a new way to preview the latest and best Bible studies from LifeWay. Members receive a Bible Study Insider box twice a year containing more than a dozen member books of our latest Bible studies for adult, men’s, women’s, and young adult groups. This provides members with an opportunity to take their time and personally review all of the studies from the comfort of their home or convenience of their church.

Each box contains more than $150 worth of member books and costs just $50. But with each box you receive a $50 voucher to apply toward your next Bible study order of $50 or more, so your cost is recovered immediately. And you also get to keep all the member books to have on hand for other group leaders or for  future needs.

Today’s giveaway is for our May/June box which will contain member books for the following Bible Studies:

• Seven (Jen Hatmaker)
• Dream (Kenny Luck)
• Wonderstruck (Margaret Feinberg)
• Follow Me (David Platt)
• God Anthology (Mark Batterson)
• Samson (Chip Henderson)
• Gospel According to Jonah (J.D. Greear)
• All Pro Dad (Mark Merrill)
• This Changes Everything: Lessons from James (Ben Stuart)
• The Gospel of Luke (Dave Morlan and D.A. Carson)
• Experiencing God at Home (Tom and Richard Blackaby)
• Gideon (Priscilla Shirer)
• Manhood Restored (Eric Mason)
• The God Who Speaks (The Gospel Project)
• God’s Story, Part 1 (The Gospel Project)
• Pressure Points (Chip Henderson)
• When Relationships Collide (Ron Edmondson)

To enter the giveaway, tell us what Bible study you’ve enjoyed the most in the past.

The deadline to enter is midnight CDT this Saturday. We will draw one winner from the entries on Monday morning.

By entering, you acknowledge and accept the terms of the promotion.

B&H Publishing Group has developed an iPhone & iPad companion app for my new book, I Am a Church Member. As it is with the book, the heart of this app is to take a stance that you are a committed church member. The app offers an opportunity for you to sign the pledge and send your pastor a word of encouragement. When your pastor receives 10 messages sent from this app they will receive a free, complete digital copy of I Am a Church Member. The app also includes a sample from the book, tweetable quotes, and content from Simple Church and Transformational Church as well.

7 Ways to Help an Introvert Engage in Meetings — Ron Edmondson

My fellow blogging introvert, Ron Edmondson, shares another great post on introversion. This post details how to best help the introvert on your team engage in team meetings.

5 Branding Mistakes You Can Avoid — Social Media Today

Whether you are developing a new brand or redefining an old one, these five tips will help you avoid the pitfalls of poor branding. These suggestions can also be applied to personal, business, or ministry brands.

Traits of a Successful Failure — Dave Kraft

No one wants to fail. But we all will at some point. Dave shares how you can turn failures into lessons for future success.

How Social Media Made Me a Better Person — Adam and Christine Jeske

Like almost anything in life, social media can corrupt us as people. It tends to feed narcissism, pride, and greed. But when in the correct perpective, it can also be wildly beneficial.

During my church consulting days, I could quickly assess a church’s multiplication mentality by asking just one question: How often do you start new groups (or classes)? I would ask the question because I’d seen over and over again a close relationship between the churches that were growing and those who constantly launched new groups. The churches working hard to launch new small groups and Sunday School classes on a regular basis were continually connecting new people and building believers who were passionate about what the Lord was doing through His Church. Thus, they were growing.

The principle is obvious: If you want to connect new people in church, you must launch new groups.

Of course, that raises another question: What’s stopping churches from regularly starting new classes and groups? While a plethora of reasons may exist, here are the three that stand out in my mind:

1. A lack of vision. It’s easy for church leaders to become trapped in the present. If a church has a handful of Sunday School classes meeting on Sunday mornings and another handful of small groups meeting on Wednesday nights, that may seem good enough. People are gathering in community. Members are being fed spiritually. The system is working. But failing to launch new groups today means there won’t be a community experience available for the guests and new members coming tomorrow. Wise leaders have a continual vision to launch new groups.
2. A lack of leaders. Launching a new group or class without a capable, competent leader is like launching a cruise ship without a reliable captain—bad things can happen. Therefore, churches are right to be hesitant about starting new groups when they lack the leaders to support those groups. Thus churches must continually identify new leaders, invest in them, and challenge them to help launch new groups for the sake of connecting God’s people in community.
3. A lack of systems. If launching new groups is important, necessary systems must be developed. I am not talking about complex databases or lengthy procedure manuals, but simple systems that will help the church launch and communicate new groups. Church leaders must be able to answer these few questions and have simple systems in place:
   • How does a new person get connected to a group/class?
   • How are leaders recruited and trained?
   • How are new groups launched and announced to the church?

One of the reasons I’m so excited about the upcoming launch of the new Bible Studies for Life series is that I know it will help churches consistently launch new groups.

The Bible Studies for Life material focuses on compelling themes designed to help churches connect the unconnected, strengthen families, and disciple people with wisdom. And because each study is intuitive and easy to lead, churches will have better success asking volunteers to take the plunge as group leaders.

If you want your church to grow, you need to launch new groups. And Bible Studies for Life can help. Last week we hosted a short, 30-minute webcast for the launch of Bible Studies for Life. You can watch a replay of that webcast below or at the Bible Studies for Life site.

Most churches that contact my church consulting firm do so after they’ve recognized a problem; that is, they are reacting by asking for outside help. I’m grateful to assist them, but their process itself often reveals a problem that inflicts most churches: they are reactionary rather than expectant congregations.

Is your church more expectant or reactionary? Review these characteristics to see where your church is.

Vision

Expectant churches have a clear Great Commission vision. They know that God is drawing to Himself a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation (Rev. 5:9-10), and they are humbled to play a role in that task. That vision is evident in their staffing, their programming, and even their conversations. What God has in store for them in the future really matters.

Reactionary churches, on the other hand, do not typically have a Great Commission vision. Instead, their goals are often just the opposite of a biblical church: guarding their tradition more than reaching the unchurched; surviving the world’s onslaught rather than being light in the world; protecting positions rather than offering life.

Leadership

Expectant churches have leaders who are “ignitors.” That is, they have a passion for igniting the fire in others. By faith, they see potential and promise in others. They invest in the next generation. Ignitors lead a church into the future, not worrying about personal recognition or reward in doing so.

Reactionary churches have leaders who are more “firemen” than ignitors. Firemen spend their time putting out troublesome fires. This task is not an insignificant one, but firemen seldom have time or energy left for casting vision. Their ministry quickly becomes reactionary rather than proactive.

Prayer

Expectant churches have an intentional, strategic prayer ministry. They teach believers how to pray, mentor them as they learn, and hold them accountable for praying. Staff members pray regularly with each other. Small groups include prayer leaders. Senior adults pray by name for students and children, and all generations pray for missionaries.

Reactionary churches, though, only respond in prayer. A family struggles, and then the church prays. A teen wanders, and then the church prays. In fact, many churches pray only when needs are added to a prayer list—after the problem has developed. Prayer is more a band-aid than the DNA of a reactionary church.

Outreach

Expectant churches understand that the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) is about going. They think about, pray for, plan for, and reach out to people who have never attended as well as those currently attending. These churches so prominently influence their community through evangelistic ministries that their neighbors would miss them if the church did not exist.

Reactionary churches are instead inwardly focused. A quick review of the church’s calendar and budget shows little energy and few dollars devoted to reaching others. No church would ever include this motto on their website, but reactionary churches often live this way: “We’re here, and you know how to find us if you wish. We’ll respond when you get here.”

Change

Expectant churches are so accustomed to discussing God’s future that they enthusiastically talk about “what’s next” for their congregation. In fact, change is their norm. They are always experiencing “excited chaos” because leaders are continually calling them to the next level. Stagnation rather than change is most alarming.

Reactionary churches are just the opposite. They do not prepare for the future; they fight to protect the past. Little has changed for years, if not for decades. The norm is so routine that members would be uncomfortable if God did something not already scheduled in their church’s bulletin.

Growth

Expectant churches, by definition, expect God to grow their congregation. They believe God gave the Great Commission because He intends to use believers to make disciples. These churches rejoice publicly as God adds to the church (Acts 2:47), and they grieve when growth does not happen. Moreover, they have in place a strategy to grow new believers in their congregation.

Reactionary churches are not only unprepared for growth, but they are surprised by it. Any growth is unexpected and startling – threatening, even, if the growth requires change. New believers in a reactionary church seldom grow, as the church does not have a spiritual nursery ready to take care of them when they join. Numerical growth is usually only temporary in this kind of church.

What other characteristics would you add to describe expectant or reactionary churches?

 Chuck Lawless currently serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions and Dean of Graduate Studies at Southeastern Seminary.

You can connect with Dr. Lawless on both Twitter and Facebook.

These leaders are harmful to organizations because they have unique ways to hinder others from making vital contributions. They can appear busy, but most often their work is busyness.

All of us are subject to moments of fear in our various leadership roles. Can we overcome those moments? Better yet, are there signs or indicators to serve as cautions? I believe there are at least eight such tendencies in fearful leaders. And if we are manifesting any of these, we need an immediate behavioral change.

1. Procrastination. Fearful leaders put off tasks for fear that they cannot do them well. They are experts at passive-aggressive behavior. They can receive an assignment to do a task, then “conveniently” forget to do it.
2. Over analysis. Fearful leaders want to over-analyze every situation in an attempt to eliminate risk. They never stop analyzing because they never eliminate the risk. An organization built around fear will have an excess of analysts and policy wonks.
3. A bias against actions outside the status quo. The status quo is the lone comfort place of a fearful leader. Get him or her beyond status quo, and the leader is often deemed ineffective. Though the fearful leader may avoid the overused, “We’ve never done it that way before,” he or she might say something similar like, “That’s really not the way we do it here.”
4. Worry about critics. The fearful leader is a people pleaser. Critics can immobilize him or her. To use a sports metaphor, fearful leaders avoid decisions that might draw criticism because they play not to lose rather than playing to win.
5. Reticent to show weaknesses or lack of knowledge. The fearful leader is an insecure person. He or she does not want to exhibit any weakness, even though he or she may have several. You will see the opposite trait exhibited in confident courageous leaders. They have no problems pointing out their own weaknesses and ignorance.
6. Reticence to move people off the bus. No one should enjoy firing people. No one should enjoy telling a volunteer that he or she is no longer needed in a position. But for the sake of the organization, some people need to be moved off the bus. The fearful leader will let persons stay on the bus well beyond their effectiveness because they fear confrontation, and because they fear making a wrong decision.
7. Failure to reinvent oneself. A fearful leader does not want their circumstances to change; that is why such leaders fiercely defend the status quo. Likewise, they don’t see any need for change in themselves. Courageous leaders are constantly reinventing themselves. Fearful leaders rarely improve their skill sets significantly.
8. Obsession with details. Fearful leaders love to stay in the morass of insignificant details. Because the details are usually unimportant, it is difficult to make a mistake of consequence. Of course, it’s impossible to do anything of consequence when your focus is on those things that really don’t make a difference.

It is not unusual to find fearful leaders who consistently exhibit all eight signs. That’s just the way they lead (or fail to lead). But even good leaders can find themselves gravitating toward one or more of these weaknesses at times. All leaders need to evaluate themselves honestly to make certain such drift does not take place.

What do you think of these eight signs of fearful leaders? What traits have you seen the most? What traits would you add?

Pastor: Rev. Kenny Rager

Worship Time: 11:00 AM (Central Time)

Fast Facts: Life Community Church is a high-impact church, a church that seeks to combine numerical and spiritual growth for impacting lives and communities. LCC is trying to reach families with the gospel in a growing section of Owensboro, Kentucky. It launched on October 28, 2012 and since that date has baptized 14 people and is averaging 70-80 in primary worship attendance.

The church is preparing to relocate to a new facility because they have outgrown the present one. Pray that God will continue to grow this new congregation in conversions as well as spiritual maturity.

Website: www.lifeowensboro.com

“Pray for . . .” is the Sunday blog series at ThomRainer.com. We encourage you to pray for these churches noted every Sunday. Please feel free to comment that you are praying as well. If you would like your church to be featured in “Pray for . . .” contact Steve Drake, director of pastoral relations, at Steve.Drake@LifeWay.com.