Can declining churches revive? Answer is YES!

I once helped start a business networking breakfast for a local Chamber of Commerce. It was based around four vital principles. These were that breakfasts were to be held when people were available, include business networking, a good breakfast and a relevant talk - to help people develop their businesses. It was an immediate success. Soon 30+ people joined us for every breakfast. However, after a couple of years a new Chamber team took over. They limited the networking time and replaced the business talk with a Chamber update (Yawn!) Within months we were down to half a dozen. Happily, the earlier format was soon restored and the buzzing breakfast was back to normal – to the great benefit of the business community. This proved that all four principles were vital for a business breakfast to be successful. Miss one at your peril! 

After over sixty years in the pews and latterly as a Lay Minister I would suggest the similar principles apply to churches. Successful ones meet at times people are available, provide refreshments after services (for the all-important social catchups) and crucially have a service format which is universally inspiring, accessible and supports people’s spiritual lives. Churches miss one of these at their peril!

Like the popular breakfast meetings, the whole event has to be a vital cog in people’s lives. Services have to be inspirational, enjoyable, understandable and crucially have a vital role in filling spiritual needs of the community. Forms of service which seem to be most effective appear to take the form of a thinnish golden frame around bible readings, a talk and wonderful popular songs – all of which change every service. 

There are little traps in the process of recovering a declining church. The first is asking the existing congregation what they want - which is usually what they have. However, the actual congregation is in fact the whole community – which is usually sadly absent and so cannot vote. The checklist to recovery seems to firstly have services at times most people can come - around 10am or 6pm on Sundays or any evening in the week. Secondly provide refreshments for social catchups. Lastly, and crucially, always have a consistent service known to appeal to whole communities.  The good news is that, like the business breakfast, the church decline is always reversible!