Encouragement For The Pastor Of An “Old” Church

​​Contrary to much of what you may see about church outreach and growth, not all things need to be new for a church to thrive.

Being an “old” or traditional church is not a death sentence!

It’s not styles, traditions, or average congregational age that kills a church — selfishness is.

Those may be symptoms or commonalities, but rarely are they the main cause.

At the root of many struggling and dying churches are a heart and mindset issue.

And that doesn’t change quickly.

As a pastor, it can be extremely frustrating and discouraging that you can’t just reach into the souls of your congregants and just “fix it.”

But remember, it’s not your job to build the Church. It’s His. 

• Nurture the hearts of those God gave you. Challenge them to love their neighbor and put their preferences aside.
• Teach them not just how to share the gospel but..
• How to BE the gospel to their inner circle.

The harvest may not come in this season. But that was never your job in the first place.

So if you’re an old church with traditional expressions? It’s not a death sentence!

There are many that long for your rich traditions!

There are generations of lonely people thirsting for the seasoned veterans of life to embrace them like the family they don’t have.

What some may view as detriments are also the very things that many are desperately searching for.

So be encouraged, pastor. Don’t give up! Continue to preach the Good News! And show your people day in and day out how to bring other people into that conversation.

Let God work on the rest so you can rest.