A Thriving Church (and Pastor)

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To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13, ESV).

I did play the numbers game as a pastor: attendance and offerings up, and I was a success. Attendance and offerings down: Should I change occupations? Any pastor has difficulty not playing this game, as budgets must be met, and staff and the building loan must be paid.

Sometimes I felt that our church existed just two bad offerings away from bankruptcy.

Yet, as my wife often reminded me, my success as a pastor and the church’s thriving had little to do with numbers. A recent Barna™ report on discerning church health said… 

Attendance and giving should be thought of as lagging indicators: if they are improving or declining, chances are the catalyst of that change occurred weeks, months, or even years ago.

Attempting to better understand church health, the Barna organization recently published a report listing five key shifts needed for churches to move away from viewing numbers as the gauge of spiritual maturity.

1. From Quantitative to Qualitative: Church leaders must move from evaluating their ministries solely in terms of “the numbers” to seeking ways to measure the spiritual and emotional well-being of their congregations.
2. From Informed to Attuned: Church leaders must be attuned to the flourishing of those they serve. This means moving toward a more relational and intuitive approach of discerning spiritual maturity.
3. From Consumers to Contributors: Church members must be moved from listeners to actively participating in the church’s mission. The emphasis should be on releasing members to meaningful ministry and service.
4. From Fragmentation to Wholeness: Leaders should regularly pause what they’re doing and maintain awareness of their own spiritual health. They must prioritize their own spiritual growth to serve their congregations well.
5. From Human-Reliant to Spirit-Led: While strategy and research are important, they must not replace reliance on God’s power and presence. The Church must make room for the Spirit to work, recognizing that true transformation comes from God.

As a pastor, I wanted to lay down my life for the narrow path God had called our church to. But too often, with me (and other pastors), handling conflict, fundraising, organizing church staff, and administrative burdens increased and eventually overwhelmed our true purpose. Barna reports that the proportion of pastors whose primary ministry tasks align with their sense of calling decreased from 55 percent in 2015 to 38 percent in 2023.

No wonder 45 percent of pastors leave their local church within the first five years.

I survived 49 years as a pastor of one church; most of the time, I believed I was thriving; sometimes, I felt we were barely surviving; and too often, I just didn’t know. If I could add a “sixth” to the “Barna Five,” it would be “faithfulness.”

Pastors experience the ups and downs of thriving-to-surviving again and again through the years. Pray for their faithfulness and the strengthening of God’s presence.