This Is Why Your Ministry Is Stagnant

It is no secret that when you look around at many churches, membership is dwindling - whether because older members are passing away, millennials are seeking something different, or younger generations are staying away altogether. Someone once joked to me that younger people avoid church because they see the hypocrisy in how some older believers live Monday through Saturday. While said lightly, there may be some truth in that.

The reasons I’ve listed are not exhaustive, and no one can say with absolute certainty why attendance is low - except perhaps in many megachurches. Megachurches have carried a negative reputation for a long time, yet recently I heard someone ask why a particular church in Atlanta, Georgia is thriving when, in their words, “all they preach is fire and brimstone.” They questioned where the messages on faith, love, and forgiveness were.

That comment wasn’t said directly to me, but it immediately caused me to reflect - especially on the ministry of the person bold enough to make such a comparison.

This is my space, and if you don’t agree with what I write, that’s fine. There are plenty of other spaces that may offer what you’re looking for. But my thoughts went straight to Scripture - specifically Acts 2:47: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

If we proclaim that we are Christians and followers of The Way, then we have to follow the script.

Many preachers do church their own way. Some have not been properly consecrated and are not truly committed to the work of the Lord. They have inconsistent prayer lives, do not fully believe what they preach, and have turned ministry into a stage. They perform for people who are accustomed to a certain style of preaching. When the audience shrinks, discouragement sets in. Some even begin to berate the congregation, blaming them for a so-called “lack of faith.”

But the words we speak are spirit, and God’s Word will not return void. It will accomplish what pleases Him and prosper in what it is sent to do (Isaiah 55:11).

So if your ministry isn’t growing, perhaps it’s time to examine your heart posture, your intentions, and the source of the words - or seeds - you’re planting.

If everything you touch dies, you must meditate on the spirit you are operating in. The Holy Spirit is life-giving. He quickens and breathes life into dead situations. The only spirit I know that kills, steals, and destroys is Satan. If everything we get involved in becomes toxic, at some point we must look inward.

One thing I often say is this: I am the thermostat, not the thermometer. I set the tone. When I walk into a room and it feels heavy, the Holy Spirit in me will not settle in that heaviness.

I know someone is thinking, “I have the Holy Spirit too, but our church isn’t growing - we have an older congregation.” My response is this: if you were truly about your Father’s business - if healing and deliverance were happening where they hadn’t before, if families were being restored, if people were receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit - word would get out and your ministry would grow.

Those who worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

If truth were being preached without compromise, if Scripture weren't being backpedaled around, if the Holy Spirit were allowed to move with power - unobstructed by our sinful flesh - you would see growth. Instead, it’s the same thing year after year: the same pointless meetings, the same committees, everyone talking about solutions, but no one operating with enough Holy Spirit power to execute them.

If God is to add to His church daily, we must do things His way.

As for the southern ministry that was referenced, I’ve watched them online. The lead pastor is solid and grounded in his convictions. He is faithful to his wife, so his ministry is not hindered. He preaches truth, and God has blessed His work. He has a shepherd’s heart - I’ve watched him pause mid-sermon to pray for someone crying in the audience. That's the heart of a Pastor.

That is what draws people - not committees, not programs, not community days. Those things may bring people in, but what will keep them? That responsibility falls on leaders who not only know the Word, but who live it by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Father God, in the name of Jesus, I acknowledge that I have spoken about ministry incorrectly. It is not my ministry - it is the ministry of Your Holy Spirit working through me.

I present my body to You as a living sacrifice, a willing vessel for Your use. Wash me and cleanse me of anything that obstructs the free flow of Your power and love through my life.

Forgive me, Father, for comparing myself to others and for coveting the fruit of another’s labor. Teach me to learn humbly from those who are thriving. Reveal the areas of my heart where pride has crept in - where, like Simon the sorcerer, I sought power or recognition instead of surrender.

I repent of trying to make a name for myself, and I fully yield to Your work through me. Let my life, my words, and my service bring glory to You alone.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.