There are all kinds of symptoms of a dying church, but there is one primary cause for demise—losing relevance in the local community. Scattered across metro Atlanta are church buildings that once were filled with congregants being nourished with God’s truth. Now, they are in various stages of deterioration due to lack of funds because of dwindling church attendance. What caused this plight on our city’s spiritual landscape? It was the inability to remain relevant in a changing environment.
I once heard this phenomenon referred to as “the frog in a kettle.” This descriptive analogy is that when you place a live frog in a vat of warm water it will not jump out. The warm-blooded animal enjoys its surroundings and soaks in the soup. If the temperature is increased incrementally, the frog will not react, eventually being boiled alive by virtue of its failure to respond. In case study upon case study, churches in our locale failed to recognize the changing environment around them, ultimately leading to the demise of their congregations. Read More
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