8 Reasons Many Bible Belt Churches Are in Trouble

Thom Rainer was one of the developers of my Church Revitalization program and I would consider him an authority on church culture and church health.  He wrote an excellent article that I believe we could all identify with to some degree.  He serves as the president of Life Way Research and provides valuable help to struggling churches.  Please take the time to read as I know you will appreciate.

Thom Rainer Writes:  "What a big difference a region makes.  Or use to make.  I served as pastor of four churches, and three of them were in the Bible Belt.  One was not. It was my favorite. The Bible Belt refers to that region of the southeastern and south-central United States where church attendance has been higher historically, and where biblical values are more closely aligned with cultural values.  But the buckle of the Bible Belt is coming off. That means the entire belt will soon fall off.   And it is happening rapidly.  There are thousands of churches in the Bible Belt. Sadly, too many of them are not adjusting to the changing realities of the area.  They still act like it’s 1975. Here’s why:

1  They don’t recognize the decline in cultural Christianity. They refuse to admit the world has changed around them.  And they are often angered when someone suggests they make methodological and stylistic changes.

2  They have many “church rules.” The church rules could be related to attire worn on Sunday, or times of worship, or inconsequential polity issues.  The point is they do things like they did 40 years ago, and wonder why those on the outside are not interested in their churches.

3  They have leaders who have never led in a highly unchurched mission field. Of course, the problem is that the mission field around them is growing increasingly unchurched.  Birmingham and Nashville, in that regard, are looking more like Spokane and Boston.

4  They confuse traditions with truth.  That is a dangerous reality. When our church members equate biblical teachings with some of the bylaws and processes of the church, the congregation is in big trouble.

5  They do outreach the way they’ve always done it.  So if Tuesday night visitation was effective in 1975, it should be effective in 2016.

6  They have significant conflict due to frustration.  A number of the leaders and members of these churches can’t understand why and how things have changed so much. They want their old church back, but it’s not coming back. Their frustration can lead to conflict that exacerbates their other problems.

7  They are very slow to respond. Their internal culture moves at a much slower pace than the community around them. If they do respond to an opportunity, they might be five years late. Or ten. Or twenty.

8  They have significant facility challenges. Many of these churches were built for one big crowd one day a week one hour a week. They might have old and dated education and recreation facilities as well.  Some of them are in worship centers with a capacity multiple times their actual attendance. They can have significant unused space and deferred maintenance. A lot of their funds go to keep the lights on."

(Pastor Gary Speaking)  It is my opinion that many of us can identify with some of these traits through former churches.  My prayer is that we as a church understand why we are here and where we are headed in order that we can always make the necessary adjustments in preparation for the future.  Our mission and God's Word remains unchanged but our methods must always remain relevant.