"What God does not ordain, He does not sustain." - Unknown
This may well be why so many church starts fail. Intentions may have been good and demographics screamed, "GO!", but the still small voice of God said, "No" or "Not now" or "Not you."
It may also be why so many churches dwindle and close after the founder or the popular preacher transfers, retires or dies. The pastor had good dreams, plenty of energy and support, but because it was about him and his goals it fades out after the prime mover and shaker is gone. I am sure he and the people thought it was God's plan, but if it is not sustained after one man leaves it was probably not ordained or planted by God.
Sometimes a major contributor moves on because he cannot have the control he wants and things get crazy economically. This makes think that the adage, “If the rich build the church man builds the church. If the poor build the church” is very true.
The pastor I heard this morning mentioned that people do not move on but get stuck in the movement of yesterday or the power that was there years ago. They struggle to make that happen again and a church once on fire is just smoking ember that is almost gone because they live in the past.
I once preached in view of call at a church where the pastor had died after being their fifty years. I believe it was three years before and they still had his poems in the bulletin and talked about him like he was on vacation. A man would have a hard time being the new shoes in the place leading them onward. Out of curiosity, I looked and they have no web presence only an address and phone number in a listing. That does not bode well. They may well have closed.
Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Some may say of their churches that they once had great revivals and the pews were filled and some had to stand outside. They sent out missionaries and many left for bible college and became pastors out of their church. Now, it is barely keeping the doors open after a hundred years of ministry. Why?
While we like to blame demographics, the end times and the like they have less influence than we accredit them. Why are some churches that are over a hundred years old and still going while some started only ten or twenty years ago are closed or near closure. It is the end times for both churches and demographics changed in both places.
It may well be that the ones not growing did not change their lures and are still fishing for trout in a lake restocked with different fish. Indeed, we have more Mars Hill type people today than Jews at Pentecost. If you refuse to change bait do not be mad if you do not catch anything and if you do not preach the Gospel like Paul becoming all things to all men you will see your church close. You may have never done something before, but it is wise to investigate and change if needed not close you mind and your doors.
I was once told that churches experience a life-cycle of birth to death just like people. There may be some truth in that. Some churches die in their infancy due to lack of care. Some in their teens due to rebellion against the Father like Rehoboam. Some get slack in their middle-age or go through a crisis poorly while others just get senile and die. Others seem to be like Caleb still doing battle in their 80’s and make it to 120 or so.
It may well be a first love issue like Ephesus. After awhile, we get so tied to our man-made rituals, rites and traditions that we lose that fire we had in our hearts when we first heard the Lord speak to us. We fought hard battles to get where we are, but now we are comfortable. If we have enough nickles we are not even worried about noses like the church that had $50k for the roof felt God was still blessing them when the church was nearly empty with an 80+ year old retired interim pastor in a neighborhood that no longer represented them. They would never turn it over to a pastor or pastors that could reach that neighborhood. They might have hung on until the money ran out or the last person left for the nursing home or died.
Only when the nickles start to not pay the bills do we notice that that we need new noses. That is sad because those noses belong to people that Christ died for, which is our primary mission. We will not merge. That is a dirty word, I guess, or we are too proud. One pastor I contacted to see if he would look into merging with another church told me, “Both congregations are waiting for God to fill the pews.” That may be a long wait that never ends if they are both a shrunken body already.
Sometimes the first love fire has gone out in the pulpit because the pastor is more concerned about maintaining his position and title so he will not say or do anything that may come back to burn him even if God means to purge the field for new growth. Other times it is a pastor that is a ten alarm fire with a congregation of petrified wood. They will only take so much fire until they crack and the they will either put out the pastor’s fire or put out the pastor.
Either way, somehow they did not notice this verse and did not repent and their candlestick is gone. They are trying to maintain light with nothing but the burnt wick of yesterday’s memories. Their baptistery is a home for spiders and dead cricket. They have no outreach. God could give them a new candlestick, but usually they will not make the necessary heart search and change needed. They hang on to the bitter end and it is often very bitter ending in closed doors, hearts and eyes.
If they had a business they would file bankruptcy and be done long before they got to the point they are with the church. Many are run like businesses in many ways so accepting “bankruptcy” and joining a thriving church is better for the people and the testimony of Christ. You cannot be a good steward of His gifts in a place He is no longer working for whatever reason. We are in perilous times and unity is needed, not personal bible clubs or expensive small groups. We unite in truth and love. There is much power in that because He is truth and love. O, what could be done if God’s people submitted to the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth and desires to fulfill the Christ’s prayer that we would be one as He and the Father are one.
Put aside, pride, personal agendas, traditions or whatever else is keeping the Body divided. If you care for the souls of men then let them see the people of God arise as one in love for each other so that they will believe we love God and them. Barely holding on is not God sustaining when He promises us to be abundant and not redundant. Close unnecessary doors. Have a ceremony and bury it with a eulogy, but let it go. If our Founders used “Unite or Die” as a call for unity we might use that as well though in some cases it might mean “Die to Unite.” Maranatha!
