The Power of Your Destiny Broadcast: New Vision for the Traditional Church

Harold stood up, paused for a moment, and began to speak softly, "We don't want our church to die. We'll do what it takes." That was when I first knew the church could make it. The well-respected deacon and pillar of the church spoke from his heart. He really meant it — and he spoke for the church. They were ready to make the big changes needed to rescue their church from decline and eventual death.

Like many Southern Baptist churches, this church had its heyday in the 50s and 60s. Decline had been slow but steady. A church that once served hundreds (and had the building to prove it) now averaged thirty-five on a Sunday morning. Now they wanted to reach young families, a difficult task since their median age was in the 60s.

Over time, most churches plateau and most eventually decline. Typically they start strong or experience periods of growth, but then they stagnate. Patterns and traditions that once seemed special eventually lose their meaning. Churches that were once outwardly-focused eventually become worried about the wrong things. They become more concerned about a well-used policy manual than a well-used baptistry.

In the 1980s, Ross Perot spoke about the national budget deficit as "the crazy aunt living in the basement that nobody wanted to talk about." We have our own "crazy aunt" — tens of thousands of dead or dying churches. Like that "crazy aunt," we love her. We want to treat her with dignity. But, ultimately, we think she is hopeless and best ignored.