The Declining Church or The Dynamic Church

Have you every heard the phrase, "the plateaued church?" Some believe that a church has times of growth, times of decline and times of being plateaued? In other words, a church comes to a point in its growth that it must transition to the next step in order to see progress.

For example, a church starts out with the pioneer/planter and with zeal, purpose, passion and power. The church may begin with 10 to 25 converts and then grow over a period of years to 50, 75 or 100 converts/members. Then there is that point where the church becomes plateaued and needs to transition to the next step of growth. If leadership takes the initiative and the converts/members become positively involved in that transition step the church can and will continue to grow. This may mean several things for the transition to be successful.

First, it will mean that the leadership (pastor and staff) and the converts/members grow in spiritual maturity in prayer, witnessing and reaching others for Christ and in being disciplers (not sure if disciplers is a word, but you get the point.) Next it means that changes are inevitable. The maxim has been stated, "if you do things the way you have always done them, you will get what you've always got." These changes or failure to change sometimes become a point of failure or success for the church to transition to the next dynamic level as a vibrant, growing local body. The basic fundamentals and practices of the church are the same but the methods change as the church grows and sees increase. For example, the church with 30 will not operate the same as a church with 100 or more. The planter/pioneer must free himself/herself from the more personal contact that she/he once had with the 10, 15, or 30 and empower (delegate) those 10, 15, or 30 to minister to the newer ones and focus more on leadership with the total group.

If the leadership of the church does not continue to mature and develop in the areas of prayer, winning the lost and discipleship, the converts/members will not continue in those areas. Other types of struggles and conflicts then become the focus of that local body. Disruptions can follow with divisions and losses of members. The focus then becomes shifted from prayer, winning the lost and maturing in discipleship to maintaining what "we have." Arguments and church fights may then ensue with members showing more immaturity and carnality.

If the pastor/leader becomes engaged and enmeshed with the carnality and immaturity and does not focus on prayer, winning the lost and discipleship, further decline is inevitable. The question is then begged? What are the priorities of the local church? What will it take to get focused on these three priorities - prayer, winning the lost and discipleship? Blame can be given for a declining church on other things - failure to work together, failure to build a certain facility, failure to . . . add what you will. But if the basic passions of our Captain are laid aside nothing else will suffice to cause that local church to grow - in the Lord - in prayer, in individual converts, spiritual maturity and leadership development.

What do you think? Any comments?