Failure To Thrive (FTT) is a condition where growth has been decelerated, arrested, or considered to be abnormal (in) growth or development.  FTT is most often used to describe children who have failed to show the signs of growth and development in critical areas of health, but also accurately describes a church that is experiencing plateau or decline.  In previous blogs of this series, we have explored the need for Committed Leadership and Biblical Behavior within the church.  In this week’s blog, we will focus on the final factor your church needs to thrive…

Factor 3:  Outward Focus.

Church revitalization specialist and author, Ed Stetzer, said this about the importance of an outward focus, “One of the things you will find in churches that are growing disciples and growing numerically is an emphasis on outward focus. It is so integral that outward focus should be a part of revitalizing a church.”

In the first chapter of Acts, we find Christ’s final instructions to his followers before ascending into heaven.  He told them to wait in Jerusalem to receive the promise of the Holy Spirit, but also told them what would and should happen as a result.  What would happen was they would receive POWER after the Holy Spirit came upon them.  What should happen was they would be WITNESSES of Him “in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”   Christ’s words were meant to confirm what He had told them in the fourteenth chapter of John’s Gospel (promise of the Holy Spirit), but, also, to give them the strategy they needed to accomplish the Great Commission they had just received.  Basically, He told them to start where they were, but not to stay where they were!  I believe Jesus was trying to establish an outward pattern of ministry for the church that would propel their message to those who needed to hear it.   This is essential because the Church has been called to reach “all the world,” not just those on our front porch or in our backyard.

But, let’s be clear, they did not ignore the needs of their brothers and sisters in Christ (or anyone else).  The Scripture indicates that they gave to anyone that had need and spent time together.  Looking after one another is part of our responsibility as the Body of Christ, but we must remember that it is not our sole responsibility.  Jesus said that people would know we are His disciples by our love for each other.  In other words, our love and care for each other should equip and enable us to reach those outside the church.  When the people in our community know that we love them in the same way as we love each other, they will be receptive to the message of hope we bring.   In their book, The Externally Focused Church, Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson said, “The success of an externally focused church depends on getting involved in the community, creating authentic relationships, and being truly useful.”  They went on to say, “In the process of SHOWING, externally focused churches have discovered, again and again, that people are more willing to listen to their TELLING.”

A pond that only collects water, but has no means to release it will stagnate and cease to be useful.  The same is true with the church.  If we hold on to the ministry we receive and fail to share it with those outside our walls, we too will stagnate and cease to be useful.

I’ve heard dozens of church leaders make this declaration, “The local church is the hope of the world.”  While I believe that statement to be true, I would offer just two clarifying words – “The OUTWARD FOCUSED local church is the hope of the world.”

To read previously posted blogs in this series, or on other topics, go to SMDHealth.Church and click the BLOG tab on the home page.

Factor 2:  Biblical Behavior

As church leaders, we believe and teach that God’s Word is the sole authority for faith and practice, both in life and in the church.  The importance of sound Biblical teaching in every aspect of church life cannot be overstated.  We must make the teaching and preaching of God’s Word a high priority in our groups, our classrooms, and our pulpits.  If we fail in that endeavor, the foundation of our faith will crumble.  “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17) 

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that the Word of God is “alive and active,” which means that we do not need to make it relevant.   God’s Word REMAINS RELEVANT because the One that inspired it is eternally relevant.  Our only job is to help the church to see how it is relevant to their daily lives.

While I firmly believe we must offer more avenues for people to study, learn, and grow in their knowledge of the Word, I feel the need to make a potentially controversial statement.  Churches rarely die due to a lack of Biblical teaching—they die due to a lack of Biblical behavior! 

I believe that we have been taught far more of the Bible than we are currently applying to daily life.   Our problem in the church isn’t the amount of teaching—our problem is the amount of LIVING OUT what we’ve been taught!

In my experience, most pastors are very committed to preach and teach the Bible to their congregations, but we often focus solely on what it says and fail to help our listeners understand what it means to apply it in their daily life.

Can you imagine what church life would be like if we actually behaved like the Bible teaches to behave?  What if we managed relational conflict the way God’s Word teaches us?  What if deacons and elders served in the same way it shows us in the New Testament?  I contend that we already know the answers to these powerful questions.  The results would be a healthy and vibrant church in the heart of every community in which they serve. 

If you want your church to thrive, Biblical Behavior must become a priority.  As teachers and preachers of the Word, we must help our people know how to live (i.e. behave) Biblically at home and in the marketplace.  We must help them know and apply what it means to “live by the Spirit” in the way that Paul teaches in Galatians chapter 5.  It’s not enough to tell them what it says—we must teach them how to apply it to daily life.

In part 4 of this series, we will look at the third factor needed for your church to thrive.  Be sure to share this with a church leader and check out the other blogs and resources available at SMDHealthy.Church.

In this week’s blog, we will focus on the first of 3 Factors Your Church Needs To THRIVE.

Factor 1:  Committed Leadership

Dr. John Maxwell says, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”  I think we have all seen the proof of this statement in all areas of life, but probably no place more critical or noticeable than in the local church.  Of course, I am referring to the critical need for senior leadership in the form of a Senior or Lead Pastor, but I am also referring to the need for additional core leaders within the church.  Having a committed leader in the Senior or Lead Pastor role is essential, but not the sole solution.

Let’s first discuss the need for Committed Leadership in the Senior or Lead Pastor role.

The Senior Pastor is key to the direction and overall spiritual health of a church. As the senior leader of the organization, the pastor is responsible to provide clear vision, sound teaching, and correction when it is necessary.  But let’s be honest—many of our churches are in the condition they are, because they were LED there.  We can blame the previous pastor, or even internal power struggles for SOME of the health concerns of the church, but not all of them.  Some of the issues faced in churches today are the direct result of poor leadership by either the Senior Pastor, or a leader placed in a position of influence by the Senior Pastor.  PLEASE HEAR ME…I don’t say these things to be harsh or hurtful, but to offer an honest assessment of what hinders many churches today.  All of us who pastor a local church must seek to increase the level of our leadership, because the Church deserves to be well led!

The Senior Leader must be Committed to GROW!

As church leaders, each of us must commit to grow personally, spiritually, and professionally.  We do this through prayer, reading God’s Word, and accessing the many leadership resources available to us in the form of books, blogs, podcasts, and conferences.  We also need to develop discipline in our daily and weekly schedules to maintain a healthy balance between family and ministry..

Pastor and author Erik Reed of The Journey Church in Lebanon, TN says, “Show me a healthy church and I will show you a healthy pastoral leader.  Show me a sick or dying church, I will show you a pastor not leading well.”

The Senior Leader must be Committed to SACRIFICE!

An effective leader must do the hard things when no one else will (i.e. confront, correct, say “no”).  That often means that a leader will do what is RIGHT even when it doesn’t benefit them personally.  Being the leader means that we often wake up earlier, go to bed later, and don’t always get to do the things that make us popular with everyone.  We need more leaders who will make that sacrifice.

The Senior Leader must be Committed to YIELD!

Submission to the leading of the Holy Spirit is not always easy or convenient, but since the Church doesn’t belong to us, it makes sense that we would yield to the leading of the One to whom it does belong.  This will take considerable amounts of prayer, as well as quiet times of intentional listening for the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit.

A yielded leader must ALSO submit to the authority and governing structure of the church (i.e. local board, as well as the district and national leadership structure).  A leader that cannot or will not follow established authority should not expect anyone to yield to their leadership.  We are expected to set an example of accountability to those we lead.

Secondly, let’s consider the need for Committed Leadership in the supportive roles of the church.

In order for the church to fulfill its responsibility to equip and prepare God’s people to serve, we will need a group of leaders.  Ephesians 4:11-13 describes this group of leaders as apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists, and teachers who will help build up the Body of Christ and raise up other leaders to do the same.  Paul gives no indication that this group of leaders are staff members of a church, if they were paid, or if they even held credentials.  Some (if not all) would be raised up from within the church to accomplish this task.

Even in situations where a church has the blessing of multiple staff members (paid or unpaid), our responsibility to build up the Body of Christ and raise up more leaders is the same.  A senior pastor cannot (and should not) be the only leader in a church.  One leader can only be effective with a small group of people.  The church MUST have committed leadership at all levels of the organization in order to thrive.  The most practical (and Biblical) way for that to happen is for senior leaders to recruit, train, mentor, and empower new leaders to serve within the church.

Healthy churches don’t wait for leaders to “show up” – they develop them to become the pastors, deacons, ministry leaders, and teachers they need to fulfill their vision and mission.

Committed Leadership is a key factor in helping your church thrive.  Check out next week’s blog to see another key factor!

Throughout thirty-plus years of ministry in and around the local church, and more recently in my role in Church Development for our ministry network, I have been exposed to the difficult reality that many churches today are no longer growing.  Churches that were once strong and vibrant, find themselves in various stages of decline and now struggle to survive.  There are dozens of reasons as to why this is the case, and each church has a unique story of the challenges and struggles that have led them to where they are today.  Only a comprehensive evaluation of each church could reveal all of the reasons, but, regardless, each of these churches now share a common diagnosis:  Failure To Thrive.

Failure To Thrive, or FTT, is defined as decelerated or arrested physical growth that is associated with abnormal growth and development.  FTT is most often used to describe children who have failed to show the signs of growth and development in critical areas of health, but is also used to describe older patients who are experiencing a decline or reversal in key areas of health as well (i.e. rapid or unexplained weight loss, or atrophy of muscle mass or strength).

In Church Development, we use terms like, “plateau” or “decline” to describe churches that are no longer showing signs of growth or forward progress, but those terms are not usually attached to a particular church until we’ve seen the reversal of health manifest in lower attendance or reduced income.  The actual condition of decline has often been at work beneath the surface and has gone undetected or undiagnosed because the church had the “appearance” of health.

If “…decelerated or arrested physical growth that is associated with abnormal growth and development” is the definition of FTT,  then I believe this is a pretty accurate diagnosis for churches that are exhibiting decline or reversal in key areas of health.  FTT among churches is not unique to any one denomination, or even to one geographical area.  Churches of every denominational, cultural, ethnic, and geographical demographic are facing this crisis of health. we must do something to reverse FTT.

As I have already stated, there are dozens of specific reasons for the decline, and each church has faced a unique set of challenges.  That being said, I believe every church suffering from FTT lacks 3 factors in common.  1) Committed Leadership,  2) Biblical Behavior, and 3) Outward Focus.  These factors are critical to have in place for every church to THRIVE.

Over the next few weeks, our SMD Healthy.Church blog will focus on the 3 Factors Your Church Needs To Thrive!  We invite you to catch all four parts of the series to help your church thrive when others struggle.