Welcome to St. Jacob's Lutheran Church

by Thom S. Rainer
Founder & CEO Lifeway Christian Resources

It has been a decade since we did our original research on churches that have closed their doors. Our findings were published in my book, Autopsy of a Deceased Church, in 2014.  Our work obviously hit a nerve since the book became a number-one bestseller.

Church Answers has continued to talk with church members and leaders whose churches closed or those that were on the precipice of death. While the original information in Autopsy of a Deceased Church is still relevant, there is more information we’ve gleaned since then. We will release that information in a major new resource in January 2023.

For now, let us share with you five updated lessons from churches that closed.
1. The churches had no ongoing effort to reach the unchurched in the community to become churched.

That last phrase, “to become churched,” is key. Many of the churches had good ministries to their communities, but they were not intentional about inviting them and getting them to become a part of the worship and small group gatherings of the church.

2. The pandemic increased the pace of decline and, ultimately, death of the churches.

We’ve noted this reality on several occasions. The pandemic did not change the trends of churches. They exacerbated them.

3. The leaders and members of the churches were in denial.

These congregations refused to confront their reality. If they did, it was often too late. [They were blinded by the notion creating a future by attempting to live in their past.]

4. The churches did not have new members’ classes to set expectations.

Most of the deceased churches did not have a new members’ class at all. The few that had such classes only provided information; they
did not use the class to set expectations. All of the deceased churches were hurt significantly by decreased attendance patterns of members. Their failure to set expectations was a key reason members attended less frequently.

5. The churches kept waiting for the silver bullet.

The most common silver bullet was a new pastor who would turn things around. The second most common silver bullet was a new youth or children’s minister who would do all the work to reach young people. In other words, the members desired to abdicate their ministry responsibilities and pay someone else to do it.

We will unpack more of the issues related to deceased churches in January when we release our new resource.

Sincerely, Thom

At the beginning of 2020, our Church council began reading the book cited here, Autopsy of a Deceased Church. A meaningful discussion began to follow, but soon afterward the COVID-19 virus brought an  abrupt end to the discussion.
Still, our current reality remains one of declining worship attendance on Sundays and Wednesdays, scant participation in Sunday school, and a reduced focus on congregational fellowship. As Thom cited in his article above, COVID had something to do with it, but COVID did not create the issue, it merely sped it up. Looking through the history of St. Jacob’s, our congregation has been in noticeable decline for some time.

Our Church Council has recently taken up the conversation on a proposed “NALC Fresh Eyes for Mission Summit” and presented it to the congregation at our annual meeting in December. I believe the Fresh Eyes Summit would be a positive step forward in renewing our
commitment to ministry here in our community and within the greater
Church. It would be most beneficial and productive to have plenty of congregational participation during the summit.

Please ask questions of our congregation leaders concerning this
Fresh Eyes Summit and provide your thoughts, especially as you reflect on the information shared here by Thom Rainer.

I have ten copies of this book Autopsy of a Deceased Church. If anyone would like one, please ask and I will get it to you.

Blessings,
Pastor David

September Most Needed Items:
• Vienna Sausages
• Boxed pasta
• Instant potatoes
• Progresso soup
• Chili
• Canned greens
• Spam
• Soup
• Pancake mix/Syrup
• Corn muffin mix
We also ALWAYS need:
• laundry detergent
• toiletries
• paper products.
THANK YOU!

Joining with several local congregations, St. Jacob’s will participate in this year’s Operation Christmas Child.

From children to seniors, people pack shoebox gifts each year to bless children in need around the world. Parents often use the project to teach their kids about giving. Year -round volunteers support these efforts across the country.

Churches and groups of all sizes collect boxes from their communities. Some churches also serve as drop-off locations for shoeboxes the third week of November every year.

Thousands of volunteers serve annually inspecting and preparing shoeboxes for international shipping. Every hour work stops for a few minutes to pray for the children who will receive the boxes.

Operation Christmas Child uses the boxes as resources for outreach in orphanages and other at-risk areas. In many places, they also offer The Greatest Gift, a Gospel story booklet Samaritan’s Purse developed for shoebox recipients, inviting children to participate in The Greatest Journey discipleship program.

Thank you to all at St. Jacob’s who have adopted a child by way of Operation Christmas Child. As of Sunday, October 23, we still have 23 shoe boxes that have not been adopted. Please, as you are able, share the gift of God’s love with a child in need this Christmas. Shoeboxes are located in the narthex along with all the information you need to fill, pack, and have your box delivered to a child in one of more than 100 countries. Shoeboxes must be turned in by Sunday, November 13th.