Signs of Decline

  A couple of days ago I was conversing with a young pastor about the Life Cycle of a Church that has been described by author Alan Hirsch* and others.  According to Hirsch, it seems that in what he calls the adolescent stage when a church is young, it is populated by visionaries and pioneers whose focus is on people.  During the middle stage the church's focus is administration, so it needs administrative pastors.  And during the declining stage, the higher value is put on structure, so doctrines and programs and policies and properties are given a greater priority than people.
  This young pastor with whom I was talking was thinking about his future ministry direction, so it was important for him to look at his own gifts and inclinations and then pursue the sort of ministry that would accommodate him, be it pioneering a new plant, administrating a mature church, or nursing a dying one.
  Not long after our conversation it occurred to me that I have observed signs of a church in decline, and I really do mean actual signs, as in, printed notices that are posted on church walls.  My epiphany was that churches that have their policies posted for all to see are churches that are likely in the declining stages of their life cycles, since their focus is on structures.  Remember, declining churches put high value on policies, doctrines, and properties rather than on people.
  At my former congregation I have noticed these signs posted on walls:

• "Youth and children under 18 are not allowed to sit in the balcony unless supervised by a parent."  Posted at the foot of the stairs to the balcony.
• "Your Mom does not work here-  Please wash your own dishes."  Posted in the church kitchen.
• "Children, please do not operate the window blinds."  Posted next to every window in the fellowship hall.
• "If you open a window, make sure to close it before leaving the room."  Posted next to every window in the fellowship hall.
• Parents, do not allow your children to play on the wheelchair ramp."  Posted on the railing of the ramp.
• "Do not take coffee or drinks out of the fellowship hall."  Placed at the exit to the fellowship hall.
• And here's my favorite, a sign that was posted in the men's room of a church in a neighboring town: "Gentlemen, please stand closer to the urinal, and flush twice."

  These signs do not make the church a user-friendly place where people feel safe and accepted.  Rather, they make people feel nervous that they may do something wrong and be reprimanded for it.  They indicate a higher value placed on the property than they do on people,  an obvious sign that a church has moved into it's declining stages.


  Hmm, maybe I'll write the book on the actual Signs of Decline in churches, and make a lot of money.  I will need your help though:
  What signs have you seen posted in your church?  What do you think the subliminal message was that people got from that sign?  Welcoming or threatening?


*The Shaping of Things to Come", Alan Hirsch & Michael Frost, 2003