The Life-cycle of the Church always Involves Renewal

How acquainted are we with the power of our sinful nature as a church.  Every church must have had its hay-day, when it was a vibrant and growing ministry.  But most churches over time tend to plateau and then decline.  It is the way of human nature for sure.

Why does this happen?  It probably all stems back to values, Core Values to be specific.  Take for example my church where I am the pastor (for over one year now).  During my first year I maintained a status quo ministry, and remained somewhat on the peripheral.  The purpose of this type of approach in my first year is simply to observe.  What do I observe?  I observe what makes my church tick.

This is not an easy lesson to learn.  A pastor may instinctively feel that he has to prove himself quickly, and may jump in with both feet like a "bull in a china shop."  The first thing you see in a new work even before arriving on the seen is the need for change.  Be careful pastors! what will you change?  Change for the sake of change is like shooting a gun in the sky - you never see what you're hitting.

It has become clear to me that there is a prominent core value in every church.  This one value (or prominent few values) has become known as what the church has historically always stood for.  When long-standing members reflect on the good-ole-days, they are usually reflecting on the prominent value(s) that made the church once a thriving work for the Lord.  These things can only be discovered through intent observation, and they reveal what has been vitally important to the success of the church.

Unfortunately things change.  I have been told that my church, (less than 25 years 0ld now), was founded on a focus on young families.  Young families was its prominent value in its beginning.  It once boasted of young parents with many children actively involved in the life of the church.

But things changed, or maybe things didn't change?  I don't know.  One lady told me she felt the problem was that their children just grew up and moved to other parts of the country and world.  The parents are still there (moving up into middle age now), but there is no longer a huge movement of families with children there.

My thoughts, (nothing more than a hypothesis at this point), is that the prominent core value, young families, has not changed.  In the beginning the founders of this church felt a unique calling from God to start a ministry to reach young families.  The need is still there and even greater today.  We live in a urban-like community just outside a city.  It is an ideal place for families to raise there children.  We boast of three of four schools over a short distance.  Sub-divisions have sprouted up everywhwere since the inception of the church.  The need is greater than ever to commit to a ministry of outreach to young families.

Therefore, it is time for renewal; not to someting new, but to God's orginal calling to our church.  Re-establish a family-focused ministry.

These indeed are exciting times!