Dying Churches?

Dr. Sinclair N. Grey III – Is The Church Dying?

by Dr. Sinclair Grey III for Christian News
December 20, 2016


Sadly and shamefully, there are a lot of churches dying because of complacency. With so many things happening in the world, one has to question whether or not, the church has any relevance. What do I mean by this? Is effective ministry (the concept of serving) being done outside the four-walls of the church? Is the church making a difference in social justice for the least and left out? Is the church about transforming and empowering the lives of many? These are a few questions I raise to ask if the church is dying?

As one who has been in ministry since 1997, I’ve witnessed the ups and downs of churches. From the megachurch to the small storefront church, I have to conclude that many churches along with people inside the four walls of the church do not exude the power of God they profess to have. It’s this lack of power that’s kept so many people throughout the world broken spiritually for so long. I want you to think about it for a moment. You have faithful churchgoers and those who profess their Christian faith living in a state of brokenness. Could it be that one of the reasons for this brokenness is because the church is dying. Let’s face it – a whole lot of shouting on Sunday morning doesn’t equate to power. In a real sense, a whole lot of programs to simply fill up the church calendar doesn’t mean the church has power. Could it be that the church is in a state of busyness and not in the business of transformation?

Here are some things to ask yourself to see if your church is dying. Does your church do the following?

1. Refuse to educate and empower their people politically, socially, culturally, and economically

2. Spend so much time styling and profiling and neglect teaching on relevant topics

3. Brag about stuff and never speaking up on issues that are plaguing their community

4. Hinder people from using their gift(s) to reach those outside of the church

5. Complain, complain, and complain and never doing anything

Because there are so many churches (for this case, Black churches), all over the inner cities, one has to ask the question, why so much brokenness in communities of color? Perhaps the reason why is because the church is dying. Unless a church revitalizes itself, attendance will be down and people will question whether they should even attend church. A dying church attracts dying people. On the other hand, when the church becomes active and involved, it does the following: thrive, grow, prosper, and seek to change public policy to help those who are disenfranchised by systems of injustice.

A dying church in today’s culture is a reflection on many within its leadership structure. As people always say, ‘without a vision, the people perish.’ In the case of the dying church, whenever pastors refuse to step up and step out to confront injustice along with a host of other ills in their community and this country, too many people will follow that poor leadership. A dying church must get rid of any and/all leadership that’s cancerous to its growth. In addition to that, there are so many in the church who need to ask themselves the question, are they contributing to the death of the church with their mentality and actions (lack thereof).


Dr. Sinclair Grey III is a speaker, minister, author and success coach. Contact him at www.sinclairgrey.org, drgrey@sinclairgrey.org or on Twitter @drsinclairgrey

Ronda in the Province of Málaga, Spain.

"Ancient civilizations used this mountain perch in the south of the Iberian Peninsula as a strategic location for fortified settlements, with Romans, Moors, and Visigoths each contributing to the modern-day Spanish city we now call Ronda. Puente Nuevo is the bridge we see on the right side of this picture. It’s one of three bridges that straddle El Tajo canyon, the gap that separates Ronda’s two halves. At the base of El Tajo runs the Guadalevín River, supplying Ronda with water and, these days, another breathtaking scene to delight visitors to the city." ~ anon

Ronda in the Province of Málaga, Spain. Viewed in September 2012 by unknown photographer.