My latest book is about churches that died. In Autopsy of a Deceased Church, I wrote about issues that led to the demise of several congregations.
Recently, however, I wrote a blog post about churches that have dreamed again. These congregations experienced dramatic reversals from decline to vibrant health.
In that post, I asked leaders of churches to share with me stories about churches that have dreamed again. I was amazed and overwhelmed at the responses.
From near death to health.
As I read about these churches, and even watched some videos about their stories, I was reminded again of how God often does a great work of revitalization.
Among the most amazing stories were those of churches that were truly near death. The members were on the precipice of deciding to close the doors.
Instead of closing the doors, however, the churches went in the opposite direction. They became vibrant congregations of hope and growth.
Looking for patterns.
I isolated those stories of “near death” churches to see if I could discover common patterns. Although no two churches were identical, they did take similar paths.
Keep in mind that these are not just churches that moved from slight decline or steady decline to growth. These are the churches that were just a few months away from closing their doors. Today, they are alive and well.
What are the common paths they followed? I found at least five.
1. All of these churches had sudden negative events that exacerbated their declines.
That event was often connected with a pastor. In some of the churches, the pastor had a moral failure. In other churches, the pastor left suddenly and unexpectedly, often at a critical time in the life of the church.
2. Each of the “near death” churches had a significant exodus of members who resisted change.
At the time of their departures, the exodus was seen as a very negative occurrence. In hindsight, it became viewed as a blessing.
