Life Stages of a Church
Life Stages of a Church
We all have read or heard about the different stages of life. From birth to death we methodically move from one stage to another. Psychology and society have laid out these stages for us and we believe we must adhere to them, resulting in a fatalistic life which cannot be changed. Still, this ‘pigeon-holing’ mindset does not end with us, because the church of Jesus the Christ has bought into this idea and we think that even omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Yahweh must also adhere to our life stages. We believe that He, too, must restrict His power and work within the confines of our lives. Oh, how we, in our limited knowledge, have not only ‘pigeon-holed’ ourselves, but Yahweh Himself!
We all have seen a wide variety of individuals of every age who do not adhere to the ‘norm’ for their particular age grouping. Yes, we all have a certain commonality to our lives, but we are not at all bound to these pre-purposed ‘norms’. We have the ability to choose and change according to a self-determined will. That is why each individual can be held responsible for his or her words and actions.
The history of the church of Jesus the Christ reveals a certain normal progression in the life-span of a local congregation. This was pointed out by a preacher of the last century, Vance Havner. He stated that a body of believers would usually pass through four stages during its life duration. The life of a church usually begins with a ‘man’ and moves into a ‘movement’. From the ‘movement’ the church transitions into a ‘machine’ and eventually becomes a ‘monument’.
A person filled with the Holy Spirit increasingly becomes burdened with the lostness of mankind. The Holy Spirit leads in preparing and providing for the planting of a local body of believers. He brings together all parties in whom He has placed this spiritual burden for unbelievers and raises up a pastor to lead the congregation. A lot of excitement revolves around the group as they see the Spirit of God working in the lives of people and opening opportunities to witness with unbelievers. Thus we have a Spirit-filled ‘man’ leading a group of Spirit-filled believers.
As the Spirit continues to bless and add to the body of believers, excitement about what God is doing spreads through the community. People are attracted to what is happening. Guests drop in on worship services to see firsthand what is happening. Curiosity and a desire to ‘be a part of something’ draws others to join the experience of what God is doing. Other churches hear about the work of God and begin to examine what is going on and seek advice on how they can imitate the growth. The ‘movement’ stage is in full swing.
With any growth comes change. Usually, the change comes from the need to organize the ministries and work of the congregation. Policies and procedures are put into place to facilitate and maximize the ministry. A system of authority and accountability is put into place so that the ministries reflect the beliefs and mission of the congregation. The ‘machine’ is now solidly in place and must be oiled and maintained to operate at optimum capacity.
These three stages in the life of a church are not wrong or bad within themselves. In fact, each stage is reflective of the Holy Spirit’s work in the New Testament church portrayed in the book of Acts. The Holy Spirit empowered and sent men to witness of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit’s convicting work of revealing sin and calling for repentance provided people who were ready for the Gospel and the establishing of a church. With the blessings of the Holy Spirit and with increased growth, the churches realized the need for help in the form of pastors, deacons, and elders. The Spirit provided teachers and encouragers, or whatever the congregation needed, to be conformed into the likeness of Jesus the Christ and to fulfill their calling by God. The common thread in this process is the Holy Spirit. Any one of these stages, or all of them, can become an idol for the congregation. When the congregation becomes fixated on one or more of these stages, it enters a state of isolationism. The church takes its focus off of Jesus and its mission, and turns inward, worshipping its past and itself [Romans 1:25]. This is sin, and when sin has its way it quenches the Holy Spirit, leading to a withering of the exuberant life the church once experienced under His leadership.
Man’s problem is that we have the tendency to forget who we are and how we got to where we are. Just like the Israelites when God lead them out of Egypt, we soon forget Him and take over so the work can be done our way and credit can come our way [Psalm 78:40-43]. With the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit’s hand, due to being grieved and quenched by those He was sent to indwell and minister, the blessings of the Father fade into the past. Thus begins the ‘monument’ stage of a church’s life.
No longer is the ‘yoke of Jesus’ [Matthew 11:29-30] easy and restful. It is not as easy as it used to be in the beginning. The field becomes hard, and the congregation becomes weary in the work [Galatians 6:9]. The mindset becomes: “We have to try harder and work longer.” Increased growth now must be produced through events and programs. People must be intimidated and coerced through guilt to continue participating, sometimes even resorting to instilling fear to shore-up the ministry’s work. All that is left is reflection and longing for the ‘glory days’ [Ezra 3:11].
The life of a church does not have to end this way. It is not ‘pigeon-holed’ into a pattern from which there is no escape. The ‘monument’ stage can be avoided. We all, throughout the body, must humble ourselves and seek our Father, allowing the Holy Spirit His proper place in our lives [2 Chronicles 7:14]. There must be a submitting to His will and work, not our opinions and agendas [John 6:38]. Jesus is the head of the church [Ephesians 1:22-23], the Holy Spirit is the coach of the church [John 16:13], we are the servants of the church [2 Corinthians 3:5-6], and love is the motivation of the church [1 John 4:19]. Let us avoid the ‘monument’ stage by, not adhering to ‘pigeon-holes’, but by adhering to Jesus.
To faithfully 'endure to the end', as we are admonished in scripture, requires faith in who stands beyond 'the end'.
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." 1 John 3:2 [NAS]
Hugh Folds, Interim Pastor
Matthew 6:33
