Why Churches Stall

The sigmoid curve (above) is used to describe the stages of the life of an organism, product, civilization or organization – even a church. The Inception of any expression of a church initiates the curve with a clear and compelling vision. In the early days it was fueled by passion that was ignited by the vision and for sometime thereafter there was a period of significant Growth. Programs and methods were added to facilitate the vision and things actually got easier as the church settled into a system. In fact, it was during the Maturity stage where everything ran the smoothest. But somewhere along the road it became more about the programs and methods than it did the vision and there was a Decline. The vision (if anyone can remember it) no longer ignited passion.

Where is your church on the sigmoid curve? Do you just feel stalled?
Check out Tim Chester’s “Ten reasons why churches stall.”

The good news is that you can begin a new sigmoid curve. You can recapture the vision and passion that marked the early days of your church. It’s not an easy thing to do and, frankly, many church don’t make the transition. A new sigmoid curve (in your church or in your personal life) demands a refocus on Jesus – the living Jesus of scripture, not the comfortable Jesus of culture. Embracing the real Jesus is radical and risky. But it is also thrilling and fulfilling, ironically producing the purest form of peace and joy. That kind of relationship with Jesus launches us into the world to serve and to make disciples.

Not every expression of the church is meant to last (none of the first century expressions of the church still exist). But every member is meant to have a passionate relationship with Jesus. And those members together form the expressions God has chosen to change the world.

“The Church is nothing but a section of humanity in which Christ has truly taken form.”
Dietrich Bonheoffer