tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657772.post8034807903479700253..comments2023-07-25T10:52:13.925-05:00Comments on Because I said so: A Hail Mary for dieing churchesChris Meirosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05717903860701408008noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657772.post-57806252830987148482011-03-15T00:20:06.774-05:002011-03-15T00:20:06.774-05:00I think it really depends on where you are as a ch...I think it really depends on where you are as a church. Hope is a great church. I remember watching them get their start while I was in Seminary. And since you went to Bethlehem, you already know where to park in the neighborhood!<br /><br />I do think the church that gave the building to Hope is a great example. They knew they were dieing, but rather than waste all their resources to hold on for another couple of years, they found a way to be a blessing to a new church that had hope for a future. Many of the churches Easum is talking about do not have the kingdom vision for this sort of thing. We have a church down the street from mine that fits this bill. I'd much rather go out with a bang trying to make a kingdom impact than stay on life support and die quietly.<br /><br />As for being marketing driven, Easum isn't one I'd throw into that category (see Nelson Searcy for one that I would), though he obviously is advocating some proven marketing techniques to try to regain some positive momentum. That is though, where as a church wanting make changes, you can make choices to do all/some/none of the suggested items.<br /><br />I think most of Easum's ideas are ones that could improve our church (some we've already done - tomorrow is my 3 year anniversary here!). A few don't fit our culture so we'd no use them, but all of them are good discussion starters.<br /><br />Some churches really should fold in with another, but there are a lot of landmines to navigate when doing that. Many churches should try something new and see where God works. But the reality is that church revitalization is the hardest way to go. All the evidence shows that revitalization is far less likely to be successful than new plants (again Hope is a great example here).Chris Meirosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05717903860701408008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8657772.post-67946517957685945302011-03-14T23:39:20.197-05:002011-03-14T23:39:20.197-05:00This sounds really marketing-driven. I'm not s...This sounds really marketing-driven. I'm not sure that's where we want our churches going. Don't get me wrong, there are elements to this that are good. But is it such a bad thing that some churches are geared to older audiences and others to younger? We recently left Bethlehem Baptist Church and are now at Hope Community Church, which definitely fits us much better. Hope actually now occupies a building from a former Evangelical Free church that closed its doors due to an aging, declining congregation.<br /><br />I'm not that concerned about a lot of these churches closing. Frankly, my parents' church, which is comprised of a vast majority of family members of the pastor - my grandpa - who led it for 30 years, should have closed years ago in my opinion. There are other churches in their area that are similar enough and could absorb the 30 or so people (including children) who are left.<br /><br />Those are my thoughts anyway. Interesting read, but it felt way too much like a marketing campaign to me. I don't think I want my church's resources going to something like that. Am I off-base?Joeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05786445987803024856noreply@blogger.com