A Closed Church Hurts the Whole Body of Christ

I was in Rockford on Business yesterday PM. Coming back I was rerouted from Rte 72 on a back road that took me thru the little town of Holcomb IL. I have driven this road several times voluntarily. It's a pretty drive and normally without any traffic.

On the west side of Holcomb is a church building. (it's not a big town, it has two sides however unlike the small town signs that have the name of the town on both sides to save money and no other signs are needed).

That church building was last occupied by an episcopal church. I remember not long ago when it was functioning. The church is closed now. Unoccupied. For rent. I was sad upon seeing that.

On Rte 72 there is also a church building for rent or sale in Monroe IL. That up till a couple years ago was an operating E Free church.

The population in these areas has not declined. In fact in both little towns strategically located between Rockford and Chicagoland it's a practical place to live. There are few houses for sale there.

They closed for the same reason any operation closes. Lack of participation. (My father in law always calls it a lack of precipitation, he's a champion at malapropisms)

But he might be right. Maybe it is a lack of precipitation. (let the rain of your spirit fall on me)

I'm not happy to see these churches close. The kids that used to be able to walk to Sunday school, to VBS, to Easter Sunrise no longer can. The lives and treasure invested in these empty places, hopes now long dashed break my heart.

The Body of Christ as a whole is less for all this. There is no blame to be assigned. It's like the little family shoe store that closes in a small town like I grew up in because a Wal-Mart opens up down just outside town. I hate the idea but people vote with their feet.

The problem is people in Holcomb or Monroe aren't going to the Wal-Mart Church outside of town. They are going without the spiritual shoes of the Gospel of Peace. Going barefoot spiritually and until they hit a thorn are happy to be doing so.

Sure, the leaders of that church might have embraced those church growth things that work other places and survived or even prospered. Maybe.

If I were to assign blame I would assign it at this level:

• Resistance to Change
• We always did that this wayism
• Lack of a new vision, asking "if we were starting over with a virtual new church plant here what would it look like?" In business it's the attitude of asking one's self how "If you were a clever competitor, how would you put them (yourself) out of business." The reality is the Devil asks this question all the time of his demons and they participate fully.
• Inbredism. I don't even know if that's a word, but in small towns Churches MUST stand together or they will fall separately. I have done small town economic development conferences and have a talk titled 8 essentials this small town must preserve to prosper. One of those is a praying passionate fellowship of spiritual Leaders from the area. Other churches aren't competitors, they are cooperators. They are branches of the same company. Our competitor is the world, the flesh and the devil. Not the Methodists.
• Ecclesial denominational stricture. The one size fits all top down mentality. I know of a church in Minnesota that was failing badly in danger of closing. It was down to 30 people. The ELCA determined that it was over. A friend of mine, not an ELCA ordained pastor, was allowed to come in and "maintain" things for a while. He was there 3 years and in that time paid all the bills, did some remodeling on the little church building badly needed and got the membership up to 300. He did it by being a good pastor. Yes he was and is a Pentecostal. NOT ELCA. SO, once the ship was righted the ELCA sent in an newly ordained pastor and now it's headed for the bottom once again. That little church will close. There are thousands of Churches with empty pulpits around the country and thousands of Pastors of great affect and anointing who would take those churches except for the ecclesiastical roadblocks to doing so. Because they haven't bought into or haven't been strained thru a seminary of the choosing of the overlords the building closes like it did in Holcomb. We are all poorer for their ignorance.
  

I'm saddened by all this. I see it all the time. Even in the City of Chicago which is some of the most unchurched territory on the planet. Church buildings are closed and sold off all the time because the ecclesiastical structure lacks the vision it takes to make it all work.

Meanwhile new churches are being planted, they are prospering. I was visiting a friend of mine late last night and he was telling me of a new church plant that is working very well. That is exciting.

But, I'm just saying, having those church buildings in those small towns close not because of population is a crime because they are not providing what people are looking for. The children in that little town have been robbed. They will grow up without knowing the things we knew as kids.

We are all poorer spiritually because the Episcopal church in Holcomb closed. I hope someone opens it back up under a different name if need be. It won't be me. But I have hope someone with vision sees this.