I used to wish this for the long term declined churches: simple solutions for complex problems which could be enacted in short order, with little sacrifice, low cost and the payoff guaranteed. 

You and I (dear reader) know that's all fantasy. 

That alone is the reason churches (read the people who lead and participate in them) struggle to make the necessary commitments to embrace and pursue change.

Often, when I meet with a decades long declining church, the dear sweet congregants express their longing for the revitalization of their beloved church. I love that they care so deeply about seeing their church reach people.

But often the initial thoughts of what might “fix” their church fall along two categories:

• Silver Bullets - a simple and seemingly magical solution to a complicated problem. 
• ​Station Wagons - a nostalgic ministry approach, outdated for today’s context, brought forward and suggested for use today.

You hear it it in their expressions and confessions;
 
“We just need to __________” 
“If we can just get ____________ then we'll grow"
“People these days just don’t want to _____________”
“Our world has become so _____________________”
“If we could just go back to _____________________”


I don’t doubt that behind these expressions are the desires of hearts that genuinely want to see their church grow, people to come to faith in Christ and experience transformation.
​ 
And when I hear them, I also know there is work to do, often a lot of work.

Look at the Data - What Works and What Doesn’t
I should confess, I’ve become a bit of a data nerd, saying that with the utmost respect to actual data nerds. I love new ideas, initiatives and bold experiments - let’s do them! But let’s also measure their effectiveness. 

I’ve been around long enough to sniff out the church consultant/church growth strategist hype and marketing pitches that over promise and under deliver. When I see their ads for free guides on the socials, I sign up, and then unsubscribe of course so I won’t continually be bombarded by their marketing ploys.
 
What I receive is usually the same old recycled craft ranging from marketing and promotion, to light demographic analysis, to social media strategy to tips for better sermons that have nothing to do with actually growing in your ability to exegete a text.  

Rarely anything on prayer, nothing on mobilizing missionaries and training them to actually build relationships with non-Christians and share their Jesus story.

The material looks great on the surface, it’s eye-catching, it’s polished, the spokesperson looks great, hip, trendy, correctly be-spectacled and be-sneakered with the latest kicks. You get the idea. 

But does any of that really work? 
​Does the data bear out?
Not really. 

​Recognize This:one off simple solutions sound good but don’t work well on their own.
​
I had the opportunity to do some consultant work for a state convention and one of the resources we produced was the chart below, check it out. 


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The main point here is that if you’re doing a thing, one thing or even a few things - they may not (likely won’t) lead to lasting change. 

You may see some fruit - I hope you do - but these things alone, by themselves do not turn a church around. 

Engage and Execute the Basics in Your Context

I have a Pastor friend who now serves as an Association leader. When he was revitalizing a church in a very non-churched culture and difficult ministry setting he remarked; “It’s really about the basics: prayer, teaching God’s word, getting to know people who are not Christians, sharing your faith, discipling the congregation and serving the community.  And, raising up leaders and mobilizing your people to do that along with you."

Refreshingly simple, hard to do (not in that it is complicated but that it’s definitely work) and the best news of all, it works in every context.  Read that again; it works in every context.

If your church is in decline you’ll need a plan, you’ll need to avoid the trap of expecting quick solutions and you’ll need to be ready to work, hard, for a long period of time.  

I think you can do it.  How about starting today? 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. What solutions have you tried which have proven unfruitful? Why did they not work? 
2. Are you or your people trusting or pursuing a “silver bullet” or “station wagon” approach to reverse the decline in your church? 
3. What would it look like for you to embrace the basics and apply them in your context? 
4. What’s your next step?

Honestly, I don’t remember ever going to a Christmas Eve service until I became a Student Pastor, strange right? Our family’s Christmas Eve tradition from my earliest memories had us at Grandma and Grandpa’s crowded house with all the out-of-town cousins enjoying laughter, food and getting hyped up about the next morning and the presents.

As a vocationally employed minister, specifically the Youth Pastor or Associate Pastor, I often found myself covering the Christmas Eve service for the out-of-town Sr. Pastor, who was traveling to be with his extended family. I mean, what could go wrong with handing the responsibilities off to the “junior staff member?” All that was expected was Christmas Carols and reading the Christmas story from Luke, right? That’s like hitting the ball off of a tee-anyone can do it.

Fast forward a few years later. I found myself serving at a church where Christmas Eve was a “high church” celebration (i.e. Choir Robes and Handbells.) As the Student Pastor I wasn’t asked or allowed near the stage or a microphone.

Fast Forward once more to a very contemporary church where the Christmas Eve Service had been deep sixed by the lead Pastor after a scheduling mix up (A former Assoc. Pastor planned the details and then had to be out of town or was ill-don’t remember) leaving the SP alone to serve communion to the entire congregation which took a long time-interrupting his own Christmas eve plans with his immediate family and friends. That was legend-it also led to its cancelation.

At that contemporary church I was asked to bring back the Christmas Eve service (not involving the lead pastor-who didn’t even have to come if he didn’t want-and often didn’t.) Over the next several years CE developed into something pretty big-eventually leading to multiple services, readings, a skit/drama and children's singing. 

Fast forward one more time. I served a normative sized church which was Replanted. Our Christmas Eve services were  very simple, some years (especially the ones that fell on alternating years for our young families to be out of town visiting the other relatives) meant that we would have almost as many on the stage leading the service as those who were watching it in the audience.

Christmas Eve during COVID19 provided another chapter-one I'm thankful only lasted a year. Our local governance mandated that our occupancy indoors could only be 25% of our building’s capacity. That meant we could host around 37 people, do the math, we have a small building.  So, what to do? An outdoor Drive-in Christmas Eve service in 30 degree or below temperatures.

Now my Facebook feed is regularly flooded by many incredibly creative and highly produced services being promoted by the larger churches in our area. I’m amazed at all the great creativity. 

This past week I attended an area Christmas Service and it was awesome and amazing, the church was packed, songs sung, gospel shared. I loved every minute of it. I'm for that absolutely. 

I'm also for something very different. (It is possible to be for two very different things)

Why should a normative sized (under 199 in attendance) church do a much less sophisticated and less impressive service?

Because that’s exactly how the first Christmas was.

On a cold dark evening, in an out of the way place, glorious news came to Shepherds who were watching over their flocks and looking into the night sky. A baby, not just any baby but the Son of the living God had been born into the world. He was lying in a feed trough surrounded by animals not a soft bed in a palace. This humble spot, unimpressive as it was is the place where God chose to make his entrance into the world. Immanuel, God with us, was born to be our Savior and take away our sins.

The most important and impressive happening in all of history took place in a setting no one would have ever expected it to occur. The medium is not the message. So, a highly scripted service with paid musicians and their original compositions and professional level production values is something to behold for sure. But it’s not the point.
The most amazing thing we celebrate on Christmas Eve is that Jesus entered the world.

So Replanter/Normative Sized Pastor, hold your service this Christmas Eve, focus on the message of Christ-it’s amazing and wonderful and beautiful. 

​I talk to Pastors.

Let me share something with you.

Many of them are tired, really tired.  

Not the kind of tired that a day of rest or a down weekend with no preaching responsibilities will remedy. They are bone aching, mind numbing, dark soul of the night exhausted. 

How did they arrive at this threat level midnight echelon of fatigue? Truthfully, it’s not just one thing, it’s a compilation of a lot of things, little things and perhaps a few big things too.

Why are the Shepherds tired?

• Demanding ministry schedules
• The close of a church budget season with more expenses than resources
• A wife who is tired (of ministry, being pregnant, battling sickness, managing the children alone, the critical whispers of the naysayers in the congregation, of not having enough money to meet expenses or purchase Christmas gifts or travel home to see family) 
• Conflict among church leaders (staff, deacons, trustees, finance committees, elders)
• Because the church down the street looks like it has it all together, at least on their socials and his church feels like a mess
• The internal nagging sense that what they are doing, at least how they are going about it, isn’t what they actually thought ministry would be about.

There could be more…there probably is.

Let’s add in Christmas and all that comes with it.

• Multiple services
• Music programs
• Christmas parties
• Family pressure

Seems that the ones who are there to remind the flock of the “good news of great joy” struggle to believe what they might be saying….or at least only feel like they can ascent to its truth mentally, certainly not emotionally and perhaps not spiritually. 

Dear Pastor, remember this….  

The silence from the close of the Old Testament gave way because of a slow trickle of good news that may not have seemed like good news at all.

• A betrothal interrupted by an unplanned, unforeseen and miraculous pregnancy.
• The wrestling of a noble man who considered the putting away of the woman he was to marry - interrupted by a divine assurance, God was in this.
• The whispers of the town residents as a pregnancy began to show-they could do math and it wasn’t all adding up, or was it?
• A difficult journey demanded by a civil magistrate with no exception clause for travel - and all to be counted for tax purposes.
• A crowded city and no room for a wife to bear her firstborn.

This is the first Christmas, this is also your Christmas.

Perhaps our Pastors and their families struggle in this season so they can experience all the emotions which were experienced at the first Christmas. So they can know that in the uncertainty, chaos, pain, disappointment and feelings of loneliness and rejection, God is still working.

So they truly understand….

“Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11

Fear not Brother Pastor, Christmas is about the good news of a baby born unto us, about the  breaking the grip of sin, the power of darkness and the certainty of redemption.

Rest in that, be refreshed.

Merry Christmas.
​
​

I love Christmas time, I really do. But what you are about to read is likely to make you think I’m a descendant of Ebenzer Scrooge or the Grinch.  

So, Buckle up Buttercup.

I became a youth pastor at a very traditional and affluent 125 year old (at that time) church in the deep south. It was an awesome church in many ways but also one which was struggling with the fact that it was no longer what it once was in terms of effectiveness at its location. 

Granted, it supported missions, church plants, one of which was succeeding wildly at reaching the community in which it was planted, and that daughter church was about to sponsor its own church plant. The granddaughter church would grow to eclipse both the grandmother and mother church in years to come-but I digress.

I was called as the Student pastor and rolled into town with a few years of ministry experience under my belt, a seminary degree, a young family and the pragmatic sense to know that if you are having to manufacture energy to do some ministry activity, if people weren’t volunteering for a ministry initiative, if a ministry activity you were doing was overburdening your people, exhausting them, causing everyone who spoke about to roll their eyes and….that activity which was creating all this was not bearing fruit it might be time to rethink doing that activity, it might be time to shut it down, say goodbye to it or at least deep six it for a while and do a very very critical evaluation before ever bringing it back.

All that being said….

I killed the Youth Living Nativity, not actively mind you…just through some important questions and observations. 

Even more true, I don’t think I killed it actually, it was mostly dead when I got there. 

Every time someone would reference the Living Nativity they would….

• Roll their eyes
• Say; “did you hear about the time the donkeys ran away?”
• Remark; “It’s really difficult to get volunteers.” 
• Laugh about the volunteer who struggled to put ointment in the camel’s eye and was almost bit each time.

I asked a few simple questions; 

• Why are we doing it then? 
• Why is it fully on the student ministry to lead the Living Nativity?
• Isn’t it or shouldn’t it be something the entire church does? 

Something wasn’t adding up, people eye rolled at its mention, no one wanted to volunteer and we really couldn’t point to lasting fruit or impact…Why were we doing this?

Enter a church deacon with the taped together news article copied on a well worn paper.  I’ll call him “The Advocate.” He was a really nice guy by the way.

Apparently at some point in time, some place in US America, a depressed and suicidal man during the holiday season drove through a living nativity, he listened to the cassette tape he was given which guided a participant through the Live Nativity experience. The man was so moved he decided not to end his life, he wrote a letter to the local newspaper of his account and the Advocate clipped the article, and this source document became the yearly justification for the Youth Living Nativity. 

First, praise God that the man found hope and help through a ministry of the local church, I’m for that. Let’s not ever forget that there is hope in Christ and ministry to be done in reaching the hurting, especially during the holidays.

Second, accessible public ministry where random passers-by can engage?  Again, all for that, but let’s also recognize the sovereignty of God in orchestrating all the variables that December night for this despondent man. 

Third, that it happened once doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen every year, nor does it necessarily justify a yearly commitment to one specific ministry. 

What are we to do? 

• Repeat something over and over because it worked once, sometime, somewhere?
• Be manipulated into continuing a specific ministry program because of a success story that took place years ago-and not even at the place God has located us as a church?
• Only do things which are guaranteed to be fruitful?
• Keep burdening God’s people during an already busy season and never or rarely evaluate if we should keep a ministry going?

It’s not simple, although we want it to be.  Here’s my suggestion.

Listen for the guidance of God, through the Holy Spirit as demonstrated in the people of God, together. 

The clipped article, presented by the Advocate, had assumed the place of authority-it was directing our ministry, it was telling us what we must do, had to do, even when passion and support was waning in the body. 

And a little additional information…like it is in many places, The Advocate was no longer offering to organize, lead or volunteer to make this happen, he wanted it done, he wanted me and others to do it, but he wasn’t offering to help.

Did God want us to continue the Living Nativity? I didn’t think so based on what I saw and heard from the body.

So we stopped doing it.

Hear this, I was not against doing a Live Nativity. What I was not for was it being something that only the student ministry shouldered each year. I was against propping up a program that people thought was nice but really didn’t want to volunteer for and I was not for allowing a paper clipped article determine the direction of our ministry.

By the way….the church I’m talking about, they’re doing the Live Nativity again.  And I for one, hope that it reaches someone in need…that the volunteers are enthusiastically serving and that the Camel doesn’t bite anyone.

​

This article was written by Bill Easum, long time Pastor and Church consultant. It can be found on the web in other places.

​Throughout all of my consulting ministry, I have seen a disturbing pattern ... most established churches are held hostage by one or two bullies. Some individual or small group of individuals are usually extremely opposed to the church making any radical change, even if it means the change would give the church a chance to thrive once again. I keep hearing pastors say, "If I tried that, I'd lose my job!"

Courageous pastors often ask, "What do I do when one person intimidates the church so much that it is not willing to try something new?" My response is always, "Either convert them, neutralize them, kick them out, or kill them. The Body can not live with cancer." To which someone usually cries, "That's not very Christian!"

My response describes much of the wisdom of both the Old Testament and Jesus. Maturing Christians love so deeply that they will do anything, even not being nice, "for the sake of the Gospel. Jesus was so compassionate toward others that he could not remain quiet when he saw people holding other people in bondage.

The Old Testament story of the wilderness wanderings contains a remarkable account of how Moses responded to a group of people who insisted on keeping the Hebrews bondage to the past .1 A group of people led by Korah came to Moses asking him to relinquish leadership because they wanted to take the Hebrews back to Egypt. Moses responded by falling on his face prostrate before them in prayer. Then he got up and slew all of them. Not very nice, but necessary if they were going to get to Canaan. Moses knew that freedom with God was better than slavery with Pharaoh. The same is true today... freedom to grow in grace is always better than enslavement to the status quo.

Almost every struggling church has at least one dysfunctional bully who goes out of the way to be a big fish in a small pond. Often, that is the primary reason the church is struggling. This person gets his/her sense of self-worth by keeping the church so intimidated, either by their actions or their money, that very little can happen without that person's approval. The sad thing is most of the leaders know that this person is a stumbling block to the church's' future and they will not do anything about it. The church leaders ignore the bully thinking that is the Christian thing to do, and in so doing, assist in the stunted growth or death of the congregation.

For example, I was working with a staff in a large church. The first day I met with the staff the tension was so high I could cut the air with a knife. The staff hardly said a word to one another. The next day when we met the staff laughed and cut up together as if they were one big happy family. As I looked around the table, the only apparent difference was that one staff person was not present. I asked the staff if they sensed the difference I was feeling. They knew exactly what I meant. Finally one of them blurted out, "Jim is not here today. Staff meetings are always better when he's not here." It turned out that Jim was a dysfunctional bully who ran to the personnel committee every time he didn't get his way. Because of him several competent staff members had been fired. To make matters worse, the staff knew that Jim seldom contributed anything to the health and vitality of the church.

I asked the staff if they had confronted Jim with how they felt. Their response was typical for church folks. "That would not be the Christian thing to do. It would hurt him deeply. After all, the church is all he has." Sure, it's all that he has; no one else would put up with him. Who is the most dysfunctional, Jim or the staff?

A church not far from me told its Bishop that it wanted a young pastor. It wasn't long before they got one. One of the first things the young pastor did was ask the Board to change the appearance of the church newspaper. The Board unanimously voted to do so. Four months later, I noticed the newspaper was switched back to its old form. I called the pastor to ask why. His response is a classic. "Most of the Board were present the night we voted. However, one man was out of the country. When he returned to find that a decision had been made in his absence, he demanded that the chairperson immediately call another meeting. At the second meeting, the Board voted unanimously to rescind their previous decision about the newspaper." When I asked why, he replied: "This man always pays off any deficit at the end of year and he wanted the vote changed. The Board was afraid to buck him." The future of that church was held hostage to a bully.

I'm convinced that one of the main sins of the established church is that we have taught ourselves to be nice instead of being Christian. In spite of aspiring to be a disciple of Jesus, we teach that the essence of Christianity is to be nice. Where do we get such a notion? Certainly not from the actions of Jesus.

One of the hallmarks of Jesus's ministry was his constant attack on the status quo. He challenged it every time he could. He even went out of his way to upset the religious bullies of his time. He called them "white sepulchers" and by doing so attacked the very heart of their priesthood based on purity.2 Jesus loved church leaders too much to allow them remain such small persons. When Peter showed his displeasure over the impending death of his Lord, Jesus said to him "Get behind me Satan."3 Jesus loved his disciples too much to let them miss one of the more important lessons of servanthood. Jesus, the man who said, "be compassionate as God is compassionate,"4 had no desire to be nice because ...being nice has nothing to do with being Christian. Being nice is often nothing more than a lack of compassion for people. Let's explore what this means.

At one point, in a holy rage, Jesus entered the Temple with a large, metal-tipped whip and drove out the money changers. As he did, he quipped, "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves."5 If we discover why Jesus responded to religious bullies this way, we will also discover why so many church leaders refuse to follow his example.

When Jesus cleansed the temple he was in the Court of the Gentiles. This was the only part of the temple where gentiles were allowed to worship. What ticked Jesus off was that the religious leaders were using the only place gentiles could worship God as the place to sell their wares. What was to be a place of spiritual discovery and worship for the gentiles, was turned into an economic opportunity for the religious leaders. (Sound familiar?) The focus of the religious leaders was on themselves, not the spiritual vitality of the gentiles. So he drove them out.

Therefore, thieves are those who do religious things for their own purpose. So when we are doing things that only benefit those within the church, we become a den of thieves. When we say that we want it this way because it has always been this way, we are a den of thieves. We when focus on only the needs of our members, we are robbing the community of a chance to join us in our journey of faith. Such action is intolerable for people of compassion and love.
Church leaders are robbing people of their spiritual birthright when they allow dysfunctional people to sell their petty wares in the house of God rather than to proclaim release from bondage. We really need to get clear on this problem and do something about. If we really love people, and if we really want them to experience the love of God, then we will not ever allow the bully to rob others of their spiritual birthright. Anyone who knows how family systems work,
knows that the worst thing one can do with dysfunctional people is to give them more attention by giving into their every whim. Instead, tough love has to be applied. The compassionate thing to do is to hold them accountable for their self-centered actions for in doing so they may begin the journey with God.

Jesus shows us what to do with people who do not want to grow spiritually. In training his disciples how to spread the word of God's love, he told the disciples to "shake off the dust of your feet" when they encountered people who did not receive them graciously.6 Jesus loved people too much to let anything slow down the process of setting people free from their bondage whatever it is.

People who would rather be nice than Christian do not love enough. They do not have enough compassion. Instead, they are afraid of hurting someone or of being hurt. Remember, fear is the opposite of love. "Perfect love casts out all fear."7

If we really cared about people, we would not allow anyone to bully others into submission, instead we would want every person to feel free enough to express their hopes and dreams, to stretch their wings, and to reach their God-given potential. If we really loved people, we would not base our decisions on whether or not people would like us for those decisions. Being nice or being liked is never a goal for followers of Jesus.

What does being nice accomplish in the church?

• more dysfunctional people
• fewer spiritual giants
• an intimidated congregation
• an inability to spread the Gospel
• little hope of renewal or growth
• discouraged church leaders.
  
  

Being nice is not what Jesus wants from any of us.

One of the basic lessons I'm learning as a consultant is that before renewal begins in a church or denomination, it is normal that someone has to leave or be denied. Almost every time a dying church attempts to thrive once again, someone tries to bully the leadership out of the attempt. And almost every time, if a turn around is to take place, such persons are lost along the way because they are no longer allowed to get their way. When they can't get their way, they leave. Not even Jesus got through the journey with all of their disciples. Why should we expect too?
This does not mean that we should set out to intimate the bully or to kick people out of the church. It does mean that we care enough about the future of our church not to allow anyone to stifle its ability to liberate people from bondage or victimization. It means that we care enough about the bully that we will not allow the bully to intimate the church because we know the spiritual vitality of both the bully and the church is at stake.

Matthew 18 gives us a formula for dealing with the dysfunctional bully. First, an individual privately confronts the person with what he/she is doing and asks the person to stop. If this doesn't achieve positive results, two or more people are to confront the person. If this does not resolve the matter, the person is to be brought before the entire church. Listen again to the not- so-nice words of Jesus. "And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican." In other words, withdraw from that person's presence, or in our case rem ove that person from office! Never, ever, allow such a person to dictate the direction of the church.8
​
The next time someone in your church attempts to intimidate or bully the church out of taking a positive step forward, go to God in prayer, and then get out the metal-tipped whip and drive that person out of the church....of course in love.9
______________
1 Numbers 16

1. 2  Matthew 23:27
2. 3  Matthew 16:23
3. 4  Luke 6:36
4. 5  Matthew 21:13
5. 6  Matthew 10:14
6. 7  I John 4:18
7. 8  Matthew 18:17
8. 9  For more on how to do this, see William M. Easum, Sacred Cows Make Gourmet Burgers
   (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995.) 

Pastors, thank you. 

Your presence in the hospital room following a great tragedy brought comfort. 

You spoke truth through challenging words across the restaurant table - waking us up from our spiritual stupor.

You walked with couples through infertility, infidelity and disconnection, you pointed them to Jesus and led them in prayer and confession.

You’ve missed gatherings, parties, events, and sacrificed your weekends to pray and prepare for our Lord’s day gatherings.

You’ve dedicated our children, married our young adults, baptized new believers and buried our older friends.

You led us to pursue the lost, communicate the gospel.

You challenged us to meet the needs of  the orphan, alien, and widow.

You patiently endured congregational criticisms and whisper campaigns.

You’ve lost friends, staff and have endured seasons of loneliness while remaining faithful to our congregation. 

You stayed in this place to be our shepherd when you could have gone elsewhere.

You’ve navigated several election seasons, always leading us with grace and truth - emphasizing, one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

You feel the weight of caring for the flock - 24/7.

Your tear stained face and fervent prayers may not be known but they are felt.

You don’t work for the applause of people - though you often wonder if your prayers, labor and ministry are helping us follow Jesus.

They are.

Thank you Pastor, thank you.

​

October brings with it many things, cooler temperatures, Fall colors, the outbreaking of jackets, sweaters and flannel shirts. I love this time of year, if I could craft the weather of heaven I would suggest Fall be the eternal season.

With this time of year comes a month in which, those who make up the group that determine what we celebrate in any given month, suggest we express our appreciation for our Pastors. 

Truthfully, this is a month most pastors kind of dread. Most don’t fully receive words or actions that make them feel appreciated.

On the main, the Pastors in your church don’t do what they do for applause or adulation. 

Truthfully, consider their work. The teaching and preaching of God’s word, the work of discipling, caring, challenging and exhorting you to Christlikeness. 

This means some of what they will say to you and the entire congregation will be corrective or confrontive. Paul declares this in Colossians 1:28-29.  The word warning conveys the idea of exerting pressure on someone’s mind through reasonable and logical appeals. 

Faithful Pastors proclaim Jesus, warn and teach from God’s word.

I appreciate a good warning now and then. My guess is that you do as well, yet there are some warnings which are hard to welcome or receive with joy and thankfulness. 

• Congregation-your lack of regular attendance at worship gatherings not only stunts your spiritual growth-your absence also impacts the larger body in our church.
• Christian-your causal commitment to Christ makes it appear that Christianity is just an additive to life, not the center of a life that honors God and brings blessing.
• Church Member-your passionate political activism (for whatever party) should not outshine your advocacy for biblical mercy, truth, justice and righteous living which honors God and brings true blessing.
• Follower of Jesus-your gossip, controlling and divisive behaviors inside the church are not only destroying the body but our Church’s witness in a world that is full of self-centered critical folks. You demonstrate by your actions a lack of the Fruit of the Spirit.

Few have likely ever said to their Pastor, after he shared a message like or similar to the ones above great personal appreciation.

Does your Pastor preach the entire counsel of God’s word? Does he challenge you to say no to sin and examine your life before God and his Word, aided by the Spirit?  

If he does then it’s time to say thanks.  

Sharing all good things doesn’t just mean a note and gift card to a chain restaurant, a plate of cookies or a gift card to his favorite bookstore. Sharing all good things includes expressing thanks for sermons that challenge, leadership that seeks your maturity and mobilization of teh church for Gospel advance.

Are your Pastors faithfully leading you and your church toward Christian maturity and missional advance?  

Then express your sincere gratitude, be descriptive, tell them how thankful you are that they speak the truth in love and lead well.  

​

Deferred maintenance is the practice of postponing maintenance activities such as repairs on both real property and personal property in order to save costs, meet budget funding levels, or realign available budget monies. The failure to perform needed repairs could lead to asset deterioration and ultimately asset impairment. --wikipedia

One of the hallmark signs of a church in trouble is a growing list of facility repairs which are not being addressed. It's easy to understand that choosing to repair an air-conditioner, roof or other major system vs. paying the pastor, keeping Sunday services going, funding missionaries can feel like an impossible choice. 

TICKING TIME BOMBS
WATER: If you talk to any contractor, builder, insurance agent or realtor they will tell you this - water (where it's not supposed to be) is your enemy. The reality is this, every house and building (aside from the newly built) has water issues at some point. Practicing due diligence in tracking down water intrusions and leaks is absolutely mandatory. Pay attention to your life and doctrine, also pay attention to your roof. 

HVAC: These are some of the most costly repairs a church will face. Our forebears worshipped without AC, God bless them-they would tell us they would have loved to have it in their churches. They didn't go without heat. Unless you live in a temperate climate you're gonna need both the ability to warm and cool your gathering spaces. Unfortunately I can count on my own hands and a couple of extra deacon's hands the number of churches who have been taken down by the lack of AC and Heat. Closing off one part of the building, retreating to a smaller area due to HVAC issues is often putting one whole foot + leg into the casket. 

MOLD: Why do churches smell they way they do? I used to think it was all the old accumulated SS literature and plastic flowers and those N'illa wafer cookies handed out in kids sunday school. Most likely it's likely due to the previous mentioned elements (water and lack of climate control) and what happens when heat and water mix over time - Mold. Will you encounter mold? Yes, it's not a matter of if, but when. As well, don't be paralyzed by mold in your facility. Get a contractor, a remediation specialist and attack that mold, remove it, get it gone. I was always amazed at this passage in Leviticus, they took mold seriously.   

PAINT: We are currently in the market for housing, one of the obvious elements that speaks to the overall integrity of a home and the care it has received is the external condition of the structure, of which, the condition of the paint is telling. Peeling or absent paint communicates a message whether it's on the eves of the structure, the siding or the concrete steps leading to the front entrance - paint tells passers by a story about your church. Here's a tip, paint anything that doesn't require a ladder, hire out the rest. 

FEELING OVERWHELMED?
By now you might be feeling that bringing your church facilities up to acceptable standards or even addressing safety and security and climate control issues are fundamentally beyond your capacity, your expertise or your financial reserves. Good, I'm glad you are at this place. Let me ask, what do you think God wants to do? Do you imagine that he wants your church to stay like it is for years? Is He glorified by a dilapidated, broken down and somewhat unusable house of worship? What about a crumbling and derelict facility confirms the power of the gospel? I think we both know that answer - it might help you to actually say it out loud, nothing.

CHOOSING TO DO SOMETHING
Now that we are to the place of honesty and we've said it out loud it's time to act. Unfortunately, ​leaders caught in this dilemma often choose inaction, not intentionally but because they can't see their way out. Here are some practical suggestions on what to do:

1. Make a list of necessary and required repairs - things that have to be addressed to safely and comfortably use the facilities. 

2. Create a list of "desired" repairs - these are the lists of things that you would like to see taken care of and address, non critical to space usage but nice to have complete.

3. Call the Contractors and Count the cost - after you get the lists together, divided into necessary and critical repairs get bids for repairs. Last time I checked, most (not all) bids are free. Too many churches have thousands of dollars in reserves waiting for a "rainy" day. Hey guys, it's raining! It's time to release those funds according to the greatest priority needs, don't let the church crumble and die with money in the bank. 

TRUST GOD AND TAKE ACTION
Some churches have enough means to address their facility issues - great, let's get it done. Other churches after counting the costs realize they do not have the level of reserves and income to survive their circumstances financially. Those in this place face a difficult choice, they are at a crossroads. 

THREE OPTIONS AT THE CROSSROADS
1. Partner with another church - I live in a city where church plants are in desperate need of space. Likely, due to the fact that most of our area in the urban/suburban region is already built out, and facility costs are so high, they won't find space/land/buildings affordable to them under 10 years. But there are countless existing spaces, debt free, occupied by congregations who need what these church plants have: people, momentum, children, money.  The repair costs may be too high for an existing church in decline, but those costs are significantly lower than the purchase price of a comparable facility for the growing church.  Understand this: the repair costs for a deteriorated facility which can be restored and redeemed are substantially lower than the purchase price of the same building in today's market.

2. Donate the building to your Association, State Convention, Multiplying Church: any one of the aforementioned would gladly assist in stewarding your church property toward its intended purpose of being a gospel outpost in the community. They have the energy, knowledge and connections to preserve the ministry in that location, to see your facilities redeemed for God's glory. 

3. Stay where you are as you are: In listing this as an option please don't read this as an endorsement and affirmation that it is a viable choice to do nothing. I write this recalling several churches and their leaders in my mind's eye.  They know the facts, they are fully aware of their predicament and still, they choose to do nothing. Why? I wish I could fully understand, but even if I did, I'm not sure I could change their thinking or their decisions.  While I'm tempted to express a multitude of thoughts, recite a cogent list of arguments, point out the dangers and coming realities related to inaction, doing so to ears that won't hear is futile. 

PLEASE PRAY - FERVENTLY
I know of too many churches who are stuck and stranded in their fears, stymied by the thought of the church as they've known it ending under their watch. I know of well intentioned Trustees, Committee Members and Lay Leaders who have taken the viability of the church upon their shoulders rather than allowing God to care for it and lead it toward the future. They are weary, fearful and protective. Their ire and anger flash at anyone who suggests a future that threatens or suggests it's time to let go and let God.  They stymie, pocket veto and obfuscate all reasonable attempts to bring the church into a better place and toward vitality. They can't be reasoned with, I've tried. That's why I'm asking you to pray earnestly for God to move in them,  move them on or remove them as the roadblocks to Gospel Advance.