Midweek Meditation: "Eight Symptoms of Dying Churches"

Why churches plateau and die? Here are eight symptoms from Jeffrey Allan Christopherson's "Kingdom First" book.

1. Majoring on the Means: "They value the process of decision more than the outcome of decision." 
2. Self-Indulgent: "They value their preferences over the needs of the unreached."
3. Aging Leadership: "They have an inability to pass leadership to the next generation."
4. Loss of Neighbourliness: "They cease, often gradually, to be part of the fabric of their community."
5. Program-Centered: "They grow dependent on programs or personalities for growth or stability."
6. Finger Pointing: "They tend to blame the community for a lack of response and in time grow resentful of the community for not responding as it once did."
7. Failure to Acknowledge: "They anesthetize the pain of death with overabundance of activity and maintaining outdated structure. "
8. Property Focused: "Confusion of caring for the “building” as caring for the church."

c

Good End of Life

I was inspired when I watched this TED Talk by Judy MacDonald Johnston. With only a sample size of two persons that she had the privilege of walking and sharing life with, she lets us in on the five practices we can all adopt in preparing for an end of life. After all, we will all die one day. The only difference is when.

She begins with "What would be a good end of life?" What are the chances of dying well? For Johnston, it is about taking seriously both living well, as well as dying well. The five practices are:

1. Make a Plan
2. Recruit Advocates
3. Be Hospital Ready
4. Choose a Place and Caregivers
5. Discuss Last Words

This video is well worth watching. Johnston has said it very well. We all are mostly concerned about "living well." We will also need to be more open and be ready to talk about "dying well."



Johnston has set up a website for anyone wanting to learn what it means and what it takes to die well.


conrade