TITLE:
Where Have All the Church Members Gone?How to Avoid the Five Traps That Silently Kill Churches
AUTHOR: Thom S. Rainer
PUBLISHER: Carol Stream, IL:
Tyndale Momentum, 2024, (144 pages).
This book is a fictional tale of a Church in crisis. The lead pastor, Oliver Wagner has been pastoring Connection Church for the past 8 years. Everything appears well from the outside but upon closer examination, there are more than meets the eye. People are still coming to Church but some have stopped coming. Some leaders faithfully serve albeit with different expectations of the direction of the Church. Along with those who work well alongside the pastor, some row in the opposite direction, opposing any pastoral initiatives at every turn. Pastor Wagner works well with some key individuals like Jorge Miranda, Emma Rockwell, Becky Garner, but not with people such as Ken Cassidy. With skillful storytelling, author Thom Rainer points out some common dysfunctions in that Church to help us reflect on our churches. Some of these "traps" that many fail to notice include:
- Members who stopped coming;
- Declining frequency of attendance;
- Attrition rates that are larger than recruitment numbers;
- Lack of foundational Bible teaching and Discipleship;
- Recognizing and Dealing with conflict;
- Having a low bar of expectations on members;
- Lacking an understanding of the importance of Church membership;
- Failing to evangelize or reach out;
- Churches that are too prone toward programs rather than discipleship;
- .....
