First Steps for Lay Leaders Left Behind

As a missionary serving with WorldVenture for 21+ years, my ministry in Hungary has involved evangelism, teaching, church planting and rejuvenating struggling churches. There I have filled pulpits for small churches in several denominations— Baptist, Brethren, Methodist, Reformed, and Lutheran. Whenever I returned it was usually for a period of weeks and sometimes a few months. In 2015 my family returned to the States for an extended home assignment, and during that prolonged stay I experienced reverse culture shocks. Most alarming was that during my travels through U.S. cities, I noticed many church buildings in need of serious renovation, scantly attended, and others converted into businesses. Some financially partnering churches had declined severely, and a few disappeared altogether.

What happened here in the USA? Church revitalization expert Thom Rainer estimates that over 150,000 American churches suffer from institutional sickness. (1) Often these sick churches find themselves without a pastor and are struggling to gain a foothold. Most publications address the issue from the clergy’s perspective, while ignoring the reality that the lay leaders are often left behind to run the church. The remaining lay people are like hikers injured on a lonely trail with no guide or first aid. So, what should the layperson do in those desperate times? The lay leader must resolutely take specific steps, however imperfect the foot holding, before the church slips so far that it cannot ever recover.

Take Leadership: a quick focus

The Apostle Paul admits in the early verses of his letter to Titus that some things were left undone on his previous missionary journey, namely the appointment of capable leaders (Titus 1:5-9). Paul knew that qualified leaders, both lay and pastoral, are important for the local church. Those who remain in a struggling church without a pastor must quickly take up the responsibility to lead the church and find a pastor.
The painful transition period, which could take well over a year, will present many challenges. Lay leadership must not hesitate to initiate honest communication with the congregation and make intentional efforts at corporate cohesion and confession. They must listen as they communicate with confused and disappointed church members. If they are at fault for the pastor’s premature departure, they will need to confess and apologize to members. Also, they must strive for immediate consolidation of both human and financial resources. Most likely, more people than just the pastor left. Not only will lay leadership need to find someone to fill the pulpit, but they may also need to find someone to lead worship, work the nursery, clean the toilets, pay the bills, and much more.

Because they may feel that they were “burned” by a previous leader, the laity may be sincerely reluctant to seek a new pastor. This shyness to follow a leader happens in big and small churches. Some churches may be tempted to just do the ministry on their own without ever seeking a pastor again. Some go this route for a couple of years and then decide to look for a pastor, while others will go indefinitely without a shepherd. In either case, the local congregation will suffer, lose ground, and lack direction if a senior leader remains absent. The smaller, struggling church in tight financial circumstances may need to select a capable bi-vocational pastor. Even those congregations, which have a more "primitive" church polity need someone with leadership giftedness to provide wisdom, vision, and guidance.

During transitional periods the laity must honestly evaluate the congregation's situation, and then take the necessary steps to appoint a small pastoral search team according to the church’s constitutional and/or denominational requirements. They will need to assign pulpit supply or hire an interim pastor, as well as network with other churches for ideas and personnel. The pastoral search committee must study and consult to determine what kind of leader the congregation needs to regain its foothold and move forward. A temptation exists to seek a pastor according to one’s personal preference and not according to the needs of the entire congregation and community.

Seek Outside Counsel: a broad focus

Much of the New Testament was written as advice to churches from outside experts like Paul, James, John, Peter, and Jude. While Paul did have some authority and relationships with people at the various churches he addressed, those individuals and congregations still had a measure of autonomy to accept or reject his wisdom. He was not a local, but he had extensive wisdom and broad experiences to draw from as he sought to encourage, correct and redirect churches in Rome, Corinth, Philippi, Ephesus, Colossae, Galatia, and Thessalonica. He not only wrote to them but made plans to visit and address specific problems in these churches (Acts 15:36, I Cor. 16:5, II Cor. 2:1, 13:2). Wise counselors can give us a panoramic view of the world beyond the problems of our town and our church.

Outside wisdom, networking, and consultation will help the declining church to recognize its sickness, guard against continued losses, and see the potential for the future. A church's regional denominational office may recommend or require a consultant. If the lay leadership of an independent or non-denominational church needs assistance they must network with other likeminded churches in the area or find a trusted and experienced pastor to give them advice. Sometimes a nearby seminary or Bible college can provide some expertise. Online Christian employment services like Vanderbloemen.com or churchstaffing.com provide tips for both the church and the ministry seeking pastor.

Seeking advice from outsiders can be humiliating, but it is a necessary task. If our car breaks down with a flat tire, we may not seek assistance and try to solve the problem on our own. Most likely we will succeed with a minor setback like a flat tire, but if we continue to have flat and unevenly worn tires we may be experiencing symptoms of repairs that we are not capable of fixing. Such is the case with many struggling churches. They need someone who has seen and solved this problem in other churches. Most likely, other churches have sailed the same perilous storm. Hiring a consultant can be expensive and admitting that one’s church has problems is humiliating, but this is a vital first step to survival.

Unfortunately, a declining church may have certain members who just refuse to listen to the wisdom of an outsider. Sometimes an individual or family within the congregation has dominated the life of a church for an extended period. They may hinder outside influences for positive change. John in his third epistle denounces a fellow by name for selfishly dominating a church and running off other leaders,

I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church (III Jn 9-10, ESV).

Dealing with destructive personalities may perhaps be the most formidable obstacle and challenge to a church’s revitalization. Additionally, churches tend to view their problems from their own narrow regional perspective. Often, they do not even know that they have a problem because they have been dysfunctional for such a long period of time. Solutions and coping strategies may exist which were never thought of by the local leaders.

A wise counselor will realize that not every outside solution used somewhere else will help in the local context due to unique cultural, economic, and spiritual factors. Some novice pastors may recommend a particular model or method, which they mistakenly think will solve the church’s woes. Such silver bullets only work in tales about slaying werewolves. Simply buying a projector, changing the music, and designing a website will not suffice. The lay leadership must seek advice from many sources. King Solomon gave advice to rulers of ancient kingdoms, which is applicable to churches as well, “Where there is no guidance, a people fall, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety (Proverbs 11:14, ESV).”

Expert counsel can help the church recognize its unique giftedness as well as the socio-economic shifts, which have occurred in the area since the church was established decades ago. Like a human body a declining church may have complexly interrelating comorbidities that hinder growth. Not only may the church body suffer from spiritual illnesses, but other issues may need attention-- subculture, building arrangement, organizational structure, and constitution. A church, which was established many decades ago was most likely comprised of members of similar ethnic, economic, and social backgrounds. Now years later the aging and dwindling church membership may not match the demographics of the surrounding neighborhoods. An experienced outsider will help the church detect these cultural shifts and see what potential the church has to survive and revitalize in its present environment.

Promote Unified Prayer: an upward focus

The church in transition must engage in robust corporate prayer to gain a Spirit led upward focus. During the time between Christ’s ascension and Pentecost, and even after Pentecost, the Jerusalem Church was avidly engaged in congregational prayer. Luke records the church as experiencing power for effective ministry after they participated in intense times of prayer. While the setting of Acts was certainly a unique time in Christian history the book does present examples for succeeding generations to follow. Theologians may rightfully debate the descriptive versus prescriptive character of the book, but prayer is certainly a normative practice for believers of any era. Luke reiterates in the Book of Acts that effective church ministry results from unified prayer. Both prayer and unity are frequent themes in the Book of Acts, especially as conveyed in the Greek term homothumadon, a favorite adverb of Luke the writer of Acts (1:14, 2:1,46, 4:24, 5:12). Luke uses this term ten times in Acts. Homothumadon is translated as “one accord” (A.V.), or “one mind” (NASB) or simply as “together” in several versions. The word depicts not just the physical state of being together, but the unity of their hearts and minds as well.

In Acts 1:14 the term is used to describe the unity of the praying disciples who were obeying Christ as they waited in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:1, which relates to the same gathering, the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples who continued to pray together. In Acts 2:46 the Christ followers are with “one mind” meeting in the temple where they were praying, breaking bread, and listening to the Apostles’ teaching (2:42). After Peter and John were summoned before the Sanhedrin and beaten for teaching in the name of Jesus Christ the disciples meet once more to pray aloud “with one accord” (A.V., NASB). Prior to receiving their saintly status in later centuries Peter and John were merely uneducated laymen in the eyes of Jewish religious leaders. When the Sanhedrin or Jewish Council summoned Peter and John they considered them as “unlearned and ignorant.” When Peter and John returned to a gathering of believers, they engaged in corporate prayer asking God for boldness in their witness (Acts 4:23-31). Even though the early Christians were under severe pressures of persecution and poverty, the Holy Spirit gave them boldness to declare the resurrected Christ and a holy persuasiveness to draw others into becoming followers of the Way. After times of prayer and fasting the Holy Spirit empowered them to select leaders, to evangelize, and to receive guidance for the next steps of ministry. Prayer enhanced their unity and resulted in continued growth of the church. Once again, the term homothumadon appears in 5:12 describing the gathering of believers under Solomon’s Portico. A result of their Spirit led unity was that “more” were added to the church (5:15). Church leaders, both lay and professional, must unite the members with passionate and intentional times of group prayer. Prayer will prepare and empower the congregation to engage in working with the new pastor, not against him.