Perry Noble » God Church Church Leadership Health Culture Church Planting

1. Laziness

Most people or churches are not “stuck” in decline because they do not know or understand what the Lord wants them to do. God speaks very clearly in his Word and through his Spirit—it’s just that God’s work always requires people to take a step of faith. Remember, God promised the Israelites the Promised Land, but they actually had to go in and fight the battles. A church that refuses to do whatever it takes and embraces laziness will eventually settle in the desert until that generation dies.

2. Fear of Man

God has called his people to set the world on fire. Unfortunately, too many church leaders waste their time trying to put fires out and make people happy! Scripture neatly sums it up in Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

If your first question is always “What does our biggest giver want?” and not “What does our God want?” your church is stepping into the casket!

3. Pride

When a church and/or its leaders are not willing to admit a mistake or admit that a method that used to work just doesn’t work anymore, it’s over.

4. Staff Abuse

When a leader cares more about what his staff does than who they are becoming, he will begin to push them to work 70- to 80-hour weeks on a consistent basis. When they begin to show signs of being pushed too hard, he will accuse them of being “disloyal” or “not invested enough to make things happen.” When a leader begins to do this (and other leaders sit by passively and watch it happen), then the quality of staff members will decrease significantly.

5. Loss of Focus

When a pastor or leader (or group of leaders) becomes more obsessed with their ministry platform and begins to dive into other ministry opportunities, and do so with such frequency that he ceases to love the people Jesus has called him to minister to, disaster is right around the corner. The church will become nothing more than a resource for the pastor to promote himself rather than a group of people whom God has brought together and given him responsibility over to love and lead.

 

Adapted from Perry’s Blog

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