Church closing

This week was filled with news of various church closings across many denominations. Some Churches were affiliated with a larger group but still had their own autonomy were closed and the larger group took the property and placed it for sale. Many large churches that have been honest with their finances have seen a steep drop in income lately and many of them will be closing their local churches here and there. It is estimated that 100,000 churches will close in the next decade. So why so many church closings?

Many reasons, including the age of the congregations and economic strength of the attendees and locations. Typical age average for most churches are 70. Income levels in recent years, while up, only cover cost increases. One of the biggest reasons churches close is a sense of apathy by those involved. A good number of people now get their church online, some just do not go anymore.

Seems that many churches have gone through the last several years with a lost love for God and their godly things. Often those churches that close, they lost the love for God years earlier and become just a church in function. Many have just turned into businesses that look like a church.

One thing we have to realize is that this trend existed and is as old as the church in Christ itself. If you look at the 7 churches of the book of Revelation today, none have survived and in those areas where they were. The religious presence is not what it was from the time that the book was written. Many of the faded over time for similar reasons. The cycle was ever present since.

One thing that has never changed is God’s commitment to true believers. Those who have been close to churches in history notes that there is a hidden church in the visible church. The hidden church is the true believers, the visible church is a mix of both believer and non believer. Non believers are there for various reasons. It was their traditional church, or they believe it’s the right church based on the surface structure never looking at what they do there too deeply and maintaining one foot there and in the world. Some simply fill the role as tares among the wheat.

Regardless what happens to the physical churches we know that it will always prevail. We have Jesus Christ’s own promise of that when he showed Peter that the Holy Spirit revealed to him who He was:

Matthew 16:17-19 (ESV)

17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rocka I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Regardless of what we may see in the world and what may close. His promise that the true church will prevail will until he returns.

Your Brother in Christ,

Steve Koenig