Church growth obstacles

One of my favorite DMin classes was taught by Elmer Towns, co-founder of Liberty University. It was a class on growing a church in the 21st century. He was talking about barriers to church growth and the walls that churches build that often keep people out. He went around the room and asked each student to tell how high the walls were around their church from 1-10. Each student had to answer. He then challenged us to tear down the walls and use them to build bridges into the community. Ten years later I still remember that illustration.

One reason new churches grow is that they have not had time to build walls around their churches. They have not constructed barriers to keep people out. Traditional churches often have barriers, usually not intentional, but very effective in keeping new people out. What are some of these barriers?

• A church-club atmosphere. Existing churches often seem more like a club rather than a worship center to outsiders. Membership has its privileges, its perks. Everyone is comfortable with the status-quo. Since outsiders can upset the status-quo they are often made to feel unwelcome. The primary way these churches gain new members is from the people born into existing families.
• Generational differences. it is not uncommon for a family business to close after the third generation assumes control. The generation that started the business had a passion to create something that would endure and make a difference. The next generation often shares much of that passion, but that same passion is frequently lost by the third generation. This generation may simply go through the motions, but by this time the business is in trouble. All of this is also true of churches. The founding generation of the church was driven by passion, but later generations lack the same passion and the church-club model takes over.
• Priesthood of believers is lost. The Bible is clear that everyone has been given spiritual gifts to be used in ministry. It is also clear that each of us have been called into a ministry using those same gifts. However, too many in the church look at the pastor as the hired-gun who is supposed to perform the ministry while the persons in the pew evaluate his or her effectiveness.
• Resistance to change. You knew I would get to this sooner or later, didn't you?  As I tell churches, if you could grow by doing what you've been doing you would already be growing. If you are not growing then you need to change something. But, change is risky. It's scary, and some churches are highly resistant to change. Those churches will eventually die. They may have the resources to survive for a long time, but this is nothing but life support. Their ministry has ended.

We could list more, but this is enough to consider for now. Do you recognize any of these at work in your church? These barriers are keeping people from God as well as from your church. They need to be dismantled so the unchurched can begin to feel comfortable in our churches and respond to the challenge to receive Jesus Christ into their lives.

In 1987 President Reagan challenged Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. Two years later the wall was removed. We must tear down the walls our churches have erected if we are serious about wanting to reach people for the Kingdom of God.