Naming What’s Broken In Your Church (and Trusting God with Reality)

Most churches don’t wake up one morning and decide to become unhealthy. Drift is almost always gradual. It happens quietly…over years, not weeks. Attendance might still look steady. Programs may still function. But under the surface, something begins to fray. Often, the first sign of hope is simply honesty.

There comes a moment when leaders and members sense it: Something isn’t right. But here’s the thing. That moment isn’t failure, it’s an invitation from the Lord. God is kind enough to reveal reality before He brings renewal. But we have to be willing to look clearly at what’s actually holding us back. Let me offer four major things that commonly prevent a church from becoming healthy. Are any of these true of your congregation?

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”- Psalm 139:23–24

#1. A Consumer Mentality That Slowly Drains the Church

One of the most common obstacles to church health is a consumer mindset. Church subtly becomes something we attend, evaluate, and critique rather than a family we belong to and serve. When that happens, a church begins to resemble a restaurant more than a household. People show up hungry, order what they like, and leave if the menu changes. Meanwhile, a small group stays in the kitchen every week…exhausted, overworked, and slowly burning out. The effect is predictable: a few do everything, many do nothing, and mission stalls.

Health begins to return when a church recovers a biblical vision of membership…where every believer matters, every gift is needed, and ministry is shared. When people stop asking, “What am I getting?” and start asking, “Where am I needed?” something shifts.

Reflection Questions

• Where do you see consumer thinking creeping into your church culture?

• How might God be inviting you personally to move from spectating to serving?

#2. Resistance to Change That Freezes Mission

Another barrier to health is resistance to change. Sometimes it’s rooted in nostalgia. Sometimes in fear. Sometimes in a sincere desire to protect what once worked. The problem isn’t tradition…it’s when tradition becomes untouchable.

You can imagine a well-worn trail through the woods. At one time, it led somewhere helpful. But over time, the landscape changed. New obstacles appeared. And yet, the church keeps walking the same path, insisting it must still lead somewhere good. Healthy churches learn to hold methods loosely and the mission tightly. Change doesn’t have to be reckless or rushed, but it must be possible. This takes humility, teachability, and a willingness to go wherever the Lord leads. Remember, while being thankful for the past, God always leads His people forward, not backward.

Reflection Questions

• What changes feel most threatening to your church right now?

• Are there methods you’re protecting that may be hindering the mission?

  
  

#3. Losing Our Evangelistic Urgency

Churches don’t usually decide to stop reaching lost people. They just slowly turn inward. The calendar fills with internal activity. Energy gets spent on maintaining rather than sending. And over time, the church forgets why it exists. A church that loses its outward focus is like salt left in the shaker…it is there, but it is ineffective. It makes no impact.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”- Matthew 5:13

Health begins to return when lost people matter again. When stories of salvation are celebrated. When evangelism becomes normal, not awkward. God didn’t save His church to keep it safe. He saved it to send it.

Reflection Questions

• When was the last time your church celebrated a conversion?

• Who in your life right now needs the gospel?

#4. Unaddressed Sin and Conflict That Quietly Erodes Trust

Few things damage church health more than unresolved sin and conflict. Gossip spreads like slow poison. Bitterness settles in quietly. Avoidance replaces repentance.

Healthy churches aren’t sinless churches. They’re churches that address sin honestly but with grace along with truth. They take holiness seriously, which leads them as a congregation to pursue Christ-honoring unity together. When confession becomes normal and forgiveness is practiced, trust begins to rebuild.

Reflection Questions

• Are there unresolved conflicts that need biblical attention?

• How can you personally model repentance and grace?

Honesty about these four realities isn’t pessimism…it’s faith. It’s the courage to step into the light and trust that God meets us there. What we are willing to name before the Lord, he is faithful to heal, restore, and redeem. The path toward church renewal begins not with pretending things are fine, but with believing God is gracious enough to meet us exactly where we are.