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What to Do When Your Church is Declining

Merging with another church may be your only option, but handle with care.
What to Do When Your Church is Declining

What was I going to do? The challenge gripped me during prayer time at our church. It was May, and within a year, our church would no longer have a building, and our future was uncertain.

With a mixture of emotions. I was convinced that God wanted me to lead this church to its next chapter, but I did not know where that would be, nor how we would get there.

"Okay, God," I prayed. "In obedience I accepted this call as interim pastor to lead them to their new home. So we need you to lead our steps!"

My whole family loved Zion Bible Church, a small congregation of about 50 nestled in the center of Zion, Illinois. But the church was struggling.

A year and half earlier, their pastor of 36 years retired. The search for a new pastor was discouraging and frustrating. In addition, the facility needed major repairs. So when the adjacent hospital offered double the appraised value for the property, it seemed God was leading them to sell. So they did. But what next?

I started as pulpit ...

March
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