The answer to this question largely depends on the kind of pastor you are, the quality of preacher you are, and the kind of congregation you serve. In light of this, here are a few principles that might help you answer this question in your particular context.

I am amazed at how much material has been released recently about church revitalization. I just heard a statistic that 80% of churches in America have either plateaued or are in decline. I am grateful for the efforts of those who seek to bring life to these struggling churches. I am one of them. Yet I have a growing concern the more I learn about many of the materials out there addressing this problem. If we are going to characterize local churches as “declining,” then we are basing a church’s health on how many people attend.

How many people now attend a church versus ten years ago and why does give us some helpful insight into why a church is struggling, but that does not always tell the full story. This way of evaluation can also be an unnecessary source of discouragement to a pastor. The more I hear the push to overcome the “plateau or decline,” the more I begin to think of scenarios where a church’s decline in numbers is not necessarily a sign of trouble, but may be even a sign of health. There are many, but 5 reasons came to my mind, several of which I even experienced in my own church.

Here are 5 reasons your church decline is a sign of something good:

This Sunday I begin a new adventure. I am starting a new sermon series preaching through the book of Ezekiel. You read that right! Ezekiel. So, why would I try that? 3 reasons we must tackle these hard books.

Pastors, how do we deal with this type of person in our churches? Those who profess Christ, but whose lives do not reflect it?

As this question has forced its way on the scene as a result of our growing technological advances—so have strong opinions on this matter. Here is a basic template for every pastor to consider in determining the kind of means we should use as we seek to minister God’s word to God’s people.

When a sermon doesn’t go well, most of us get very discouraged, and if the despair is great enough, it might cause us to question whether we should continue to preach at all. But I bet no one can top the disaster of John Newton’s first sermon.