Yesterday I began sharing a few of Tejado Hanchell’s, “Ten ways members can kill their own Church.” I wanted all of us to take an honest look at just a few at a time before moving on to the next. The worst thing we could do is blow through these and just way we “read another article.” Who cares? If we don’t do something about it. So, if you missed the first 3, click HERE before continuing on.
It’s pretty easy to see how the first few can kill a church. Obviously, you don’t have a church if no one shows up (1). And, (2) if they do show up but late and half-heatedly, then what you do have is so anemic it won’t last long. And (3), well, it’s just another form of (2)—people don’t really want to come anyway—Christ and His bride don’t really have a preeminent place in these individual’s hearts, so wherever He is on the list—He’s likely to keep moving on down it until He’s gone altogether. Remember Newton’s law of motion, “a body in motion tends to stay in motion.” Not exactly the physical equivalent, but I think it still applies.
Anyway, here are the next couple of “ways members can kill their own Church.”
4. Find fault with everything (and/or everyone).
Most homicide investigations begin by researching those who had something negative to say about the victim. Similarly, when a church dies, you can be sure that the fault finders are prime suspects. These are the folks who sit “in the seat of the scornful” (Psalm 1:1).
Fault finders can always SPOT a problem, but they never SOLVE a problem. They are definitely church killers.
5. Never accept a leadership role or responsibility.
Many people have a “renters” mentality when it comes to church; they take no ownership.
When you rent an apartment, if something breaks, you call the landlord to fix it. Since you don’t own it, you have no obligation to fix it. There are too many people renting pews (and some pulpits).
It’s far easier to criticize than to mobilize. As Seth Godin says, “No one has ever built a statue to a critic.” If we want to make a difference, we have to accept the responsibility to lead — whether formally or informally.
Leadership is not about position; it’s about productivity. A congregation full of followers is on life support and is getting ready to die.