Last week, I wrote a blog post about honoring those who care for congregations as they face the last years or days of their ministry life.
There were a few responses that were concerned about what they perceived as lack of faith. As a rule, I let such responses go by without comment. And I’m keeping to that rule now.
So this is not a direct response to those comments, but it is about an issue they raised that I feel is important to address. Namely, why do congregations close, other than sinful disobedience?
Author
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Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of four books on church leadership. His fifth book, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next, releases on April 2, 2024.
He also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry. Episodes feature in-depth interviews about the topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context.
Karl has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience. He and his wife, Shelley have three children and two grandkids.