Why Churches Close

Duane A. Reahm
Bishop, 1969-1981

In the course of one week, I shared with two churches in closing out their programs and making decisions regarding distribution of their properties. The next Sunday, I participated in the dedication of a beautiful new church building. What an enormous contrast.

Why do churches close?

Churches close because we live in a changing world. The automobile makes it easier to travel ten miles than it was to get the horse harnessed a generation ago. Three miles was quite a distance apart for churches during the horse and buggy days, but not today. In many instances, our churches must seriously consider merging their congregations with others of the same denomination in the community.

There are activities for the young and for older groups that were not a part of the church a few years ago. This makes it more difficult for one pastor to handle two or more churches, as was common in circuit-riding days when the sermon was the main contribution from the pastor.

Churches close because of divisions in the fellowship. How often we have found, when churches have closed, that not far back in history the congregation had become divided over some minor issue and a spirit of distrust and unkindness entered the church family. The result: the church lost its witness in the community, the hearts of pastors were broken, and the demise of the church was simply a matter of time.

Churches close because of neglect. I fear that many in the church do not realize that their attitude is slowly strangling the life of the body. I am thinking of people who believe right: they agree wholeheartedly with the Confession of Faith and apparently live morally right. They want the church to live and would be among the last ones to vote to close it.

Yet many of these people are so engulfed in personal pursuits of pleasure, business, and maybe community life that they have little time for the church. Some are generous with their financial support, but they are too busy to teach a Sunday school class, sing in the choir, attend the Sunday and midweek services, or share in the visitation program.

I know there is the possibility that the church will present such a busy schedule that the conscientious Christian is robbed of family life and time to just be one's self. But while avoiding this excess, I believe there are more church members who fail to carry the kind of responsibility that is necessary if the church is to grow.