What Makes a Church Go

I am not qualified to comment on this by education or training, only by experience.  I have been part of two rural churches, participated in the start-up of three churches, been part of two really solid happening churches, been part of a very large church, gone through two church splits, and been part of a church or two that have been a little weird.  I have taught the Bible for high school and adult level people, been treasurer twice, and have served as a deacon and elder.   That experience has led me to compile this list of what makes a church go.  The list is not numbered because many things on the list go hand in hand and can’t be prioritized.

• The pastor must be committed to applying sound principles of Biblical interpretation and preaching truth from the Bible.  The other stuff seems sweet but eventually makes a person sick.
• When the church gets into financial trouble it is already too late for a sermon series on stewardship.
• Those who make financial decisions have to remember that, in total, cash in has to equal or exceed cash out.
• There has to be a certain number of people committed to the church for the church to succeed.  Some are eyes, some are feet, some are hands and there has to be enough body parts to get the work done.  Things will eventually crumble if only a few have to do everything for a long period.
• There has to be a sense of community.  People need to know each other, support each other, love each other, and know in their heart that this is true.
• When a church gets to a certain size a building program tends to follow.  Invariably, the church opts for a program it can’t afford, builds an addition that’s looks like the old building, and doubles the amount of unusable space the old building had.  Vacant or abandoned warehouses offer much more interesting possibilities.
• Debt from a building program can suck the life out of a church.
• If the church starts circling the drain the leadership feels alone and they feel that the burden of solving the problem is solely on their shoulders.  They should look to others, like the denomination headquarters, district leadership, etc. for ideas and assistance.
• If the church starts circling the drain the leadership needs to have a clear understanding of what the exit process will be. How do the assets get liquidated, how do the creditors get paid off, and what will the timeline be and who will be the one  to close the door and turnout the lights.
• If the church actually goes down the drain realize it probably wasn’t your fault.  A lot of decisions and events combined to bring on this result.
• A church that goes realizes that It is possible for a church to survive a rancorous split, right itself, and prosper again.
• Good churches offer a place for everyone to serve beyond giving and sitting in the pew soaking up good sermons.
• The pastor is a shepherd so he visits people, prays with them, and helps them grow. He ought to teach the elders to do this too.
• Churches that go figure out how to get people into the church.  For example one church operates a food bank from their building and another has Friday fish fries and they invite the whole community.  Warehouse space would be good for that.
• Churches that go have a transparent leadership.  Decisions and plans are public and people have a chance to give input.
• Demographics matter but if the church is too narrowly focused on a segment it will not go.  Work with a narrow population, like people interested in the arts, should be a ministry of a larger congregation.
• The pastor and elders and leaders all have to be men and women of integrity.  Funny business of any kind will put the church out of business.