Why This Matters for Us

You may have seen the projection that up to 15,000 U.S. church closures could happen in 2025. It is a projection, not an official statistic, yet many of us feel the trend. If you are part of a local church, this can feel heavy. Our aim is simple: do not be discouraged. Here is how members can respond with hope and clear steps.

Grounding Promises

“Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20)
“I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20)

These words shape how we listen to the news and how we act in love.

See the Moment with Wisdom

Psalm 90 prays, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Wisdom asks us to look at the moment with clear eyes. Many pastors and staff still carry extra pressure after the pandemic years. Some congregations have fewer volunteers and tighter budgets. Rural towns feel each closure more deeply because churches support food, care, and community. Seeing this clearly is not defeat. It is the first step toward faithful action.

“Mission can be the front porch that leads people to Christ.”

Seven Simple Member Practices

These steps fit any size church. They focus on people and mission.

1) Ask for Clarity—and Share It

Request regular updates and read them. Attend the meeting. Pray over the monthly giving and expense summary. When you see gaps, ask kind, direct questions: Where is the strain? Where is the fruit? Clarity builds trust and helps us act before a crisis.

2) Refocus on the Why

Ask: If our church disappeared, what wound in our city would remain? Let that answer guide your giving, time, and prayer. Align your service to the church’s core call. If the heart is food security, prioritize the pantry. If the heart is children and youth, make that weeknight a priority. Pruning other activity can be hard. It makes room for what matters most.

3) Share the Work in Small Bites

Many leaders carry more than they should. Shadow a role for one month. Rotate a task for a season. Create a simple checklist for the next person. Offer two hours a week to a defined task. When the load is shared, ministry grows and burnout eases.

4) Try One Partnership

Is there a neighboring congregation with a similar heart? Help start one shared effort: a joint youth night, a four-week combined Bible study, or a shared music night. These ties bless people now. If change comes later, relationships are already in place.

When Partnership Becomes Merger

In some cases, the faithful next step is a merger. If two nearby congregations share vision and values, prayerfully consider becoming one church. Mergers work best when they begin with shared ministry, clear communication, and a plan that honors both histories. New Creation and NextGen, both struggling at the time, chose to merge and are experiencing more than a decade of shared ministry together. The sum became greater than either congregation on its own.

5) Steward the Building with Imagination

Buildings are tools for ministry. Suggest weekday uses that fit church values: counseling rooms, or nonprofit offices. Help form a small facilities team with clear policies and fair agreements. If sale or downsizing comes, vote with prayer and good information. Treat any proceeds as seeds for future ministry, mercy work, and scholarships.

6) Care for Caregivers

When pastors and staff are well, the church is healthier. Guard sabbath time by reducing nonessential requests on that day. Form a prayer circle for leaders. Ask your pastor one question: What is one task I can take this month? Then follow through with joy.

7) Practice Hospitality as Evangelism

If outreach feels daunting, start with welcome. Host a neighborhood meal. Invite a neighbor or coworker to serve with you at Encompass Homeless Ministry. Offer a gentle invitation to worship when the moment is right. Mission can be the front porch that leads people to Christ, who welcomes and sends.

If a Church Closure Comes: How Members Can Walk the Road

Some congregations will still face closure. Walk that road with love and order. Plan worship that tells the truth about love and service. Invite those baptized there to bring a photo. Invite couples who married there to share one sentence about how God held them. Name the saints who rest from their labors. Ring the bell once for each decade of ministry. Give thanks for every act of care. None of it is wasted.

After the service, help with gentle transitions. Offer rides to a partner church for a few weeks. Introduce friends to new small groups. With consent, share contact lists so care continues. Call seniors who feel the change most. Bring a meal. Keep showing up.

Practices That Steady Us

Keep doing the basics that form us:

  • Pray each day.
  • Read scripture together.
  • Worship weekly.
  • Welcome people with warmth.
  • Serve neighbors.
  • Forgive quickly.
  • Give as you are able.
  • Practice sabbath.
  • Encourage small groups that meet and pray.

“Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:5) The spiritual house keeps growing wherever people follow Christ in love.

This Week’s Member Steps

  1. Read the latest financial update and pray Psalm 90.
  2. Ask one leader what task you can take for a month.
  3. Invite someone to serve with you at Encompass Homeless Ministry.
  4. Email a nearby church and propose one shared activity this season.

Words of Hope to Carry

Friends, do not be discouraged. Christ is present when two or three gather. Christ is with us always. God’s Spirit is at work in small rooms and large rooms, in new plants and legacy congregations, in gym floors and sanctuaries. Our call is steady: love God, love neighbor, tell the truth, and take the next faithful step together.

I serve on the leadership team of New Creation Lutheran Church, but I am not a pastor nor formally trained in theology. I do my best to keep these reflections aligned with the ELCA, our pastor, and the values of our congregation. However, these posts are my own. All members are warmly invited to contribute their thoughts as well — whether in response or by sharing their own reflections. I also use AI in preparing these posts (editing, scripture alignment, formatting, SEO, excerpts/summaries).