Shrinking Congregation

[Jet1988]

My church used to have a healthy sized congregation but now there seems to be less and less people coming to the services. On a good day there is at most 17 people. I was wondering if anybody else is experiencing this? Also I am the youngest person in the congregation and the next youngest person is 30 so the congregation is very much of the older generation and I am worried that the church will continue to shrink into near non-existence.

 

[Stinker]

If the community in which the church building is located is staying at the same population or is growing, then it is an indication that the church leadership has a severe spiritual problem.

I have studied this problem. The church starts out with converted members and leaders, and a generation later, it has an unconverted membership and unconverted leaders. The membership then shrinks to the point of having to eventually sell the property.

 

[GTchick12]

Our church size has not really grown over the past few years either. We have had people come and go. Some of that has been due to natural circumstances but other things I think have to do with something in our church not attracting people. Our church is trying to figure this out. We have resolved to reach out more though and I think it starts there.

 

[SoulFly51]

It sounds like you need to "Go!" - just like Jesus commanded.

Ringing an evangelical dinner bell isn't going to attract people to a church. Leaders and members alike have to "go" if they expect their church to grow.

Matthew 28:19
"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ..."
(NIV)

 

[New_Wineskin]

My church used to have a healthy sized congregation but now there seems to be less and less people coming to the services. On a good day there is at most 17 people. I was wondering if anybody else is experiencing this? Also I am the youngest person in the congregation and the next youngest person is 30 so the congregation is very much of the older generation and I am worried that the church will continue to shrink into near non-existence.

The organization may become nonexistant and that is of no matter . The people will still exist but be elsewhere . I rather like smaller groups of people . 17 is still a bit large for me .

 

[Jet1988]

We have resolved to reach out more though and I think it starts there.

We have decided upon reaching out to the community more and have started this by restarting the youth club (which was cancelled due to bad behaviour) and starting womens and mens evenings once a month.

 

[Ave Maria]

What matters is the quality of worship, not the size of the church membership rolls.

 

[Paleoconservatarian]

My church has grown significantly and rapidly, and that's not good because the spiritual maturity of the congregation seems to be getting lower as the size increases.

 

[Overcash]

The church I go to is small also. There mostly is 20 people there every Sunday. It's mostly older people. The most I saw there was 35 one time and that was around Thanksgiving time. I prefer a small church but I wish their were more people attending. I'd like it to be 35 or 40 people every Sunday. I think a lot of it depends on yourself. If you think someone might be interested in attending a church you need to invite them.

 

[Godslilgurlalways]

I will say it has many factors the population of where you live,how many know about the church, how many people bring their friends into church or invite ppl to church, sometmes it's God taking out who isn't suppose to be there sometimes it isn't but don't pay so much attention to the size

 

[par9272]

I have planted churches and work in a 3yr old plant now. There is normally a reason for fading growth. Some reasons include poor leadership, no outreach effort, lack of passion for the unchurched, and hard to except but the time for the work might be done. I have seen all these but sadly most of the time it is lack of passion for the Kingdom from the leadership. If there is passion then people of all ages will come because passion leads to outreach and that ends with growth both in the local church and the Kingdom!!! I will be praying for you...

 

[Asinner]

My church used to have a healthy sized congregation but now there seems to be less and less people coming to the services. On a good day there is at most 17 people. I was wondering if anybody else is experiencing this? Also I am the youngest person in the congregation and the next youngest person is 30 so the congregation is very much of the older generation and I am worried that the church will continue to shrink into near non-existence.

Most definitely. When I was coC, the congregation started at 100 (then split), to around 40 (another split), to having 4-5 families. My MIL, who is coC, cannot even find her church anymore. Mostly, there are only old timers left . . . She visited the coC here in Kansas City (right across the street from my Orthodox parish) and hated it (too liberal for her tastes).

God Bless

 

[Krysstian]

My church has grown significantly and rapidly, and that's not good because the spiritual maturity of the congregation seems to be getting lower as the size increases.

I agree, it seems like the bigger the congregation of the church the bigger the pastor ego is. I see these big churches who are basically worried about the façade of things and nothing else. (Not all of them)

I remember praying to God about this issue. I asked Him why so many of these TV pastors have all these materialistic things. His response to me was, they believe since they’re getting all these things, they are doing what I’m asking them to do. (Not exact words) I called my ex fiancé who recently move to a different state to preach the gospel. Throughout the whole time of our phone conversations he was talking about the nice car he has, and how he is getting a house, and all these materialistic things. I know the church he is at is growing because majority of those people treat him as if he is God. This is hilarious. When I see the big churches I think about Matthew 7:14 because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. And I see this huge churches/fashion shows/dating service/ who have more people than me contest. I don’t know what to think!

 

[MaidforHim]

We have decided upon reaching out to the community more and have started this by restarting the youth club (which was cancelled due to bad behaviour) and starting womens and mens evenings once a month.

Cancelling a group or activity due to behavior seems to be a common, although very poor solution to a problem.

Anytime a group, church or otherwise, punishes everyone rather than dealing directly with those causing conflict or division one of the consequences will be loss of interest in that activity/group or people searching for a replacement.

I think it's very hard for a family to get their kids into church if they have no program that teaches in a way they can relate to or in an age apropriate way. If your kids are constantly saying "no I don't want to go to our church, it's no fun for kids" Or "there are no other kids" pretty soon mom and dad find a new church that does have youth teaching and activities.

Once the youth leave a church, it seems to me the rest of the church also leaves except the elderly.

Also, if the church is one that plays mostly old hymns I think they'll have less of a youthful population. A lot of churches are playing more contemporary music which is very attractive to the younger crowd. We found this to be the case after we moved and were looking for a church.

My kids say it feels more sincere, more natural for them to worship to more modern music.

If you were to be a first time visitor and didn't know anyone at your church do you feel it would be one that you (young adult or teen) would feel at home or welcome?

 

[jad123]

I only this half heartedly because I honestly believe this can be true.

Maybe your church teaches the Word of God and does NOT water it down. It seems that anytime I look at large churches the message get lost so that no one is offended and the bills for that large church get paid. Unfortunately there are many that will run from the truth.

If you are being fed by all means stay there. Reach out and work with the leadership in the church and in the community. If it is Gods will for the church to be it will be.

 

[genestealerbroodlord]

I personally dont go to church anymore. For me church was full of old people and was very backward looking.

What i want from a church is a forward looking church with people who are open and friendly with a good spirit about them.

What i dont want is to be around people that are snobs and full of them selves.

Im not saying that your church has these problems, only that ive been to many that do.

Outreach programs would be away for churches to attract people like me who think of themselves as christians but feel that church has nothing to offer.

I would love to goto church but as ive said already, they have no spirit and no real feeling of fellowship other than what they feel they have to do to keep up the appearance of being welcoming.

 

[Amisk]

What matters is the quality of worship, not the size of the church membership rolls.

Christ's command was to go into all the world (our workplace, the streets of our town) and preach the gospel and not to spend our time following worship teams.

Some of the reasons that churches don't grow is that we in the church want to ease our conscience by sitting in soft cushioned seats, waving our hands, sing the same chorus over a dozen times and getting a good feeling listening to our minister preach nice comforting sermons which don't tell us about sin in our lives, or shunning hell in order to gain Heaven. We just don't want anything to rock our boat.

New polls tell us that most growing churches expand their congregations not by having folks come in and get saved but by Christians running from one church to another. Recently a minister friend of mine said that a minister friend of his was smiling ear to ear because of the fast growth in his church. Then my friend pointed out to him that the growth in his church was the result of 4 church splits in the area. Our job is not to grow by nurse-maiding Christians from church splits. Our job is to bring sinners in our community into the church or go out on the street and get them saved.

I agree that names on the church roll are unimportant. Neither is the amount of attention that our present day churches are pouring into worship. The over all mission of the church is to win the lost.

There are likely other problems in our churches that cause folks to leave but these are some of the major reasons for churches failing to continue to grow.

 

[dalej42]

I'm a member of a very large church. Weekly attendance about 1000-1500 or so. I think one of the advantages of a large church is the willingness to do things that might make some people unhappy. With a very small congregation, you have to take each individual into account. Now, this can be both good and bad. It is bad when one member of a congregation vetoes a hymn.

I don't necessarily love every single second of every single service. But, it brings everyone, not just me, closer to God.

 

[Asinner]

I personally dont go to church anymore. For me church was full of old people and was very backward looking.

What i want from a church is a forward looking church with people who are open and friendly with a good spirit about them.

What i dont want is to be around people that are snobs and full of them selves.

Im not saying that your church has these problems, only that ive been to many that do.

Outreach programs would be away for churches to attract people like me who think of themselves as christians but feel that church has nothing to offer.

I would love to goto church but as ive said already, they have no spirit and no real feeling of fellowship other than what they feel they have to do to keep up the appearance of being welcoming.

This was my feeling for a while as well. I had read the scriptures and wasn't seeing God's word manifested, or brought to life, in the churches.

God Bless

 

[~InHisHands~]

My church used to have a healthy sized congregation but now there seems to be less and less people coming to the services. On a good day there is at most 17 people. I was wondering if anybody else is experiencing this? Also I am the youngest person in the congregation and the next youngest person is 30 so the congregation is very much of the older generation and I am worried that the church will continue to shrink into near non-existence.

On average there are 12 in mine. And every Sunday the preacher convicts those who aren't coming to church in the opening prayer. There is going to be 11 now.