Jeff and Sandra came to serve at a church whose former pastor had burned out. They quickly discovered that church members depended solely on the leader to keep them fed spiritually. The former pastor also thought that was his calling and had not challenged those ideas. Over the next five years, as church members engaged with God’s Word themselves, they learned to work together in building up the church.

Many struggling churches have a common feature: the pastor leads and members attend or participate minimally. One reason is cultural. The pastor is a teacher in the church. In Japanese culture, it’s appropriate to follow and submit to a teacher, rather than to walk alongside.

Another reason is the busyness of church members. Schools and companies hold events on Sundays and attendance is often compulsory. On weeks without events, Sunday might be their only day off. Some are simply too tired to attend church, let alone serve or engage with others.

Churches can start to lack joy, fellowship, and ownership. This can lead to a lack of outreach and few new believers. On top of cultural and social factors, churches face a very real spiritual battle and it is easy to get discouraged.