“Healthy churches build an immune system to resist disease. It is much more advisable to prevent an illness than to contract one and then have to cure it.” – Peter Wagner
The following are a few of the most common diseases that infect churches. By recognizing some of the symptoms my hope is that we will turn to the Great Physician, the Gentle Healer, and seek necessary medical attention.
I am using Wagner’s terms here, and have added my own commentary:
Ethnikitis: Fear or disregard for others of different ethnicities and/or races. This disease is caused by contextual factors, usually revolving around a static church (in-grown and non-growing) in an ethnically transitioning neighborhood.
Ghost-Town Disease: Found in communities where old residents are moving out, and no one is moving in.
People-Blindness: This malady is directly related to a lack of understanding of the significant differences between diverse people groups within the community. It occurs when churches fail to consider how those differences may impede evangelism efforts.
Sociological Strangulation: Wagner says: “This is a slowdown in the rate of church growth caused when the flow of people into a church begins to exceed the capacity of the facilities to accommodate it.”
Arrested Spiritual Development: Wagner: “When people in the church are not growing in the things of God or in their relationships with one another, the total health of the church deteriorates, and the church cannot grow.” To this I will add, if the church did grow, it really has nothing to offer those who come, nor to the community where God placed them.
Do you recognize any of these diseases in your church?
Your Partner in Ministry,
Nelson
P.S. – For more discussion on these and other church diseases, join me as I examine the history of church growth, going in-depth into the most innovative and inspiring aspects of church growth with specific tactics that you can start using right now to maximize your ministry.
You’ll fully engage with this three-hour seminar as I provide you with concrete applications to your church with each principle, consistently asking the question and challenging you to think about –“How do we apply that principle today?”
In addition to uncovering dozens of ideas that you can start using right now in your ministry, you will also discover:
- Where should you start in your evangelism efforts (ask this question first)
- The 3 things a pastor must be willing to pay the price for in order to grow
- What are the visible areas of the church that you can measure – the key metrics – and should
- The 9 church diseases afflicting churches of all sizes and how to recognize them in your church
- Why growth should be the norm, not the exception for your church
- And much more!
Fulfill The Great Commission championed by our founding fathers of church growth. Recharge your ministry: Make an impact for the Kingdom today – and secure the future of your church for tomorrow.
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