The limping church

In doing research for today's piece (I do that on occasion; really, I do), I came across an article that compared a football player to the dying church.

Essentially, the piece looked at how Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was injured in last season's playoff NFL playoff game against Seattle. Griffin III, whose knee was the subject of discussion before the game was not 100 percent healthy. He tried, with every fiber of his being, but on a bad snap late in the game, he succumbed to the injury. Finally, the game was lost, and RG3 had to sit with the knee. Immediately, fingers started to point as to who was responsible for RG3's unhealthy play. It was the coach. It was RG3. It was the team doctor. The list went on. How could this happen?

The writer goes on to say this: A similar question is asked when churches begin to decline and die. Some see the signs: congregational misfires, church ego injury and a limping leadership. However, no one does anything to change course. Watching a church die is a painful process. A place of hope, resurrection, life and compassion begins to turn inward and cannot see the warning signs. Many churches do not accept that they are dying until they are injured and wounded and even too late I suspect.

How can churches change the direction of the game? Can those with small attendance figures, small budgets, small hope actually change, become productive, become alive again?

What is one to do?

I look to scripture for part of the help.  In Mark's Gospel (The Message), we read, "In the morning, walking along the road, they saw the fig tree, shriveled to a dry stick. Peter, remembering what had happened the previous day, said to him, “Rabbi, look—the fig tree you cursed is shriveled up!” Jesus was matter-of-fact: “Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, ‘Go jump in the lake’—no shuffling or shilly-shallying—and it’s as good as done. That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it’s not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.”

What can we do? Call a time out. Take out the wounded and care for them. A church must heal from past wounds of loss, despair and lament their downfall. Only then, can a church begin to imagine a new future that is bright, exciting, and hopeful. Processing the grief and loss of decline can help the wounded. Then, a church can stop looking inward and can begin to look outward by asking the question, "How is God calling us to play the field of ministry in light of our situation?"

What I feel we must do above all is stop looking at what we don't have and start looking at He who can help. And we have to ask ourselves some very hard questions, like, Does this church need to survive? Can its members help somewhere else in a more productive environment?  Even, Why is this churchs till in operation, for itself or for others?

when we decide what exactly a living church is, then we can fix the ones who want to live, I suspect.