10 Ways to Wake Up a Dead Church

You will encounter this same problem to one degree or another in every church you serve. No church is without the sleeping, the dormant, the complacent. It’s the human thing. In high school physics we learned that a body at rest prefers to remain at rest, while one on the move wants to keep traveling. So, the question is how to arouse the church that seems cemented to the floor, how to get it up and going.

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Leaders must not be discouraged by those who sit and stare when they should be receiving your message as what it is, a holy word from the Heavenly Father. We must not let the lack of response–or more likely, a negative reaction–dishearten us. The harvest is worth the effort, so keep at it. “Be not weary in well doing,” said the Apostle. “In due season we shall reap… if we don’t quit” (Galatians 6:9).

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Some people will respond to you quickly. Go with those who are listening, who show up, who are responsive and want to move out and obey the Lord.

Put another way: Do not wait for the entire congregation to respond before you do anything. Get this vehicle moving and others will climb aboard. And even if they don’t, don’t punish the faithful by making them pay for the sins of the majority.

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Think of starting a fire. You gather a small amount of the most flammable material you can put your hands on–pine kindling, a fire log, shavings, or a newspaper. You strike a match. The old campfire chorus said, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going; And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing...”

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Ask yourself: Who in the church is most on fire for the Lord? In love with His word, truly worshiping, sharing their faith? Who is already experiencing revival. To put it another way, Where is God already blessing this church? Do I see His hand at work in any particular place? And if so, start there.

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Get more serious about prayer than you have ever been in your life. We have no suggestions on how much to pray, how long, or how intense. Do it your way. But remember that “the effectual FERVENT prayer of a righteous person availeth much.” Fervent surely means you care deeply and are praying intensely. Also, enlist a few prayer warriors both from within the congregation and outside it. The latter may be people you’ve known in previous churches, but who can touch Heaven with their prayers and will not talk about this to others. Get them praying, and keep them informed. (But never tell them anything you don’t want repeated. A lesson learned the hard way!)

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Don’t talk or preach about revival. Talk and preach about Jesus, about loving Him and obeying Him and being found faithful. If He is lifted up, He will draw all men to Himself (John 12:32).

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If you know a dynamic, successful leader whom God has used in significant ways, invite him/her to visit your church and make recommendations. Or you travel to their city and interview them. (In the interview, tell them your situation, then ask “What would you do?” Take notes, ask more questions, thank them, and leave. What you do with their suggestions is between you and the Lord. Write a note of appreciation (and possibly, enclose a check) immediately on returning home. And if the consultant offers to be available for further meetings, promise nothing. Your major adviser is the Holy Spirit, and you will be seeking His counsel on what to do next.)
Caution: I do not suggest you give that visiting “expert” a week or weekend with your congregation for some kind of focus or self-study. Do that and you are now pushed off to the side. Even though as pastor the Holy Spirit has made you the overseer (Acts 20:28), you could be sidelined by the advice of the expert and the ill-advised enthusiasm of some of your members. Announce to them that “I don’t believe that is what the Lord would have us do,” and they will turn on you. Best to do your job and remain in the driver’s seat.

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When someone does something good, write and tell them so. On Sundays, keep a small notebook handy in which you jot down names of people who will receive notes from you that week. Then, Sunday afternoon or Monday morning, get to it. —The notes, incidentally, need be no more than a few sentences. Just enough to say, “Your solo in church was wonderfully used of the Lord, Kristi. I saw people with tears in their eyes. Thank you for blessing us.” Or, “Bob, the breakfast you cooked for our men’s meeting was outstanding. Thank you for getting up at 4 a.m. and setting such a great example of faithfulness and diligence. You are a blessing to your pastor.”

People get so few letters these days that yours will stand out. They’ll keep your note for a long time and read it a dozen times before dropping it into a drawer somewhere. You will do few things more powerful than writing notes to those who do well.

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Do not get too comfortable with something that is working today. Ask Shoney’s Restaurants or K-Mart or Sears. Rick Warren says he never uses the word “change,” since some find that word threatening. “We say we’re going to experiment,” he says. “If this thing doesn’t work out, we’ll try something else. That way, no one is threatened.”

God bless all pastors and staffers and lay leaders who have a heart for Him and are not satisfied with “good enough” or the status quo.

Beware of gimmicks, pastors. Beware of quick solutions to deep-seated problems. Beware of doing a thing just because some hot-shot preacher or know-it-all layman told you it’s the only way.

Eyes on the Lord. After all, it’s His church. “I will build my church,” He said (Matthew 16:18). Give Him the chance to do that where you serve.

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Joe McKeever says he has written dozens of books, but has published none. That refers to the 1,000+ articles on various subjects (prayer, leadership, church, pastors) that can be found on his website -- joemckeever.com -- and which are reprinted by online publications everywhere. His articles appear in a number of textbooks and other collections. Retired from "official" ministry since the summer of 2009, Joe stays busy drawing a daily cartoon for Baptist Press (www.bpnews.net), as an adjunct professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, writing for Baptist MenOnline for the North American Mission Board, and preaching/drawing/etc for conventions and churches across America. Over a 42 year period, McKeever pastored 6 churches (the last three were the First Baptist Churches of Columbus, MS; Charlotte, NC; and Kenner, LA). Followed by 5 years as Director of Missions for the 135 SBC churches of metro New Orleans, during which hurricane katrina devastated the city and destroyed many churches. Joe is married to Margaret, the father of three adults, and the proud grandfather of eight terrific young people. He holds degrees from Birmingham-Southern College (History, 1962), and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (Masters in Church History, 1967, and Doctorate of Ministry in Evangelism, 1973). Joe's father was a coal miner who married a farmer's daughter. Carl and Lois McKeever, both of whom lived past 95 years of age, produced 6 children, with Joe and Ronnie being ministers. Joe grew up near Nauvoo, Alabama, and attended high school at Double Springs. Joe's life verse is Job 4:4, "Your words have stood men on their feet."