The Church On Menopause Is Not Growing

Three decades ago I began to write about fatherless families. The AWOL men caused me to ask, “Where have all the fathers gone?” A decade or so ago, we studied and began to teach about women in the ministry. We saw prejudice in the churches so we researched biblical roles. Women on the Team was the result (now being updated).

Women are excluded from leading in Christian communities for the wrong reasons, on purpose, by well-educated, sincere, Bible-loving elders… who are all men.

That’s my introduction. Now I’m adding alarming news, a breath-taking, undeniable, across- the- board, huge, observable pause that has taken hold in the churches of America. The pause I’m pointing out is in the reproductive cycle. It has ceased to function. It is like we all had a hysterectomy or had our tubes tied. With few exceptions, the church of Jesus Christ in America has quit giving birth by the Spirit. It seems to me that the modern church has entered menopause.

In some churches, there are new members being added, if you count the increase from transfers. That happens when people move into your area for work, or perhaps when believers are unhappy and change churches to join yours. Another kind of growth occurs due to demographics. The members are at their parenting stage, so lots of kids need to be catechized or baptized. But are either of these a result of healthy evangelism? No, they are not. Don’t kid yourself. Too many churches accept these things as substitutes and never ask deeper questions.

Look at transfer growth for a moment. If “Church A” gains a new member because someone moved in, then “Church B” has lost a member. The net gain to the kingdom of God is zero. Any church growth being applauded at “Church A” is an illusion, albeit a gratifying one to them.

Looking at the abundant evidence, very few people are coming into any church anywhere as a result of evangelism or conversion. By that I mean, the kind of increase that’s achieved by new births, by the spontaneous sharing of faith by a healthy living body, the increase that should be normal in the body of Christ.

Among the saints, reproduction is rare. I didn’t say the attempt or the effort was rare, I said reproduction is rare. There is a lot of activity as we strive to gain market share, re-gather our dropouts, invite folks from other churches, promote special events, hire more staff, raise funds, build facilities, or persuade people to be faithful in attendance. That activity serves its purpose but it isn’t real evangelism.

Evangelism is like a pregnancy. It is where we reproduce after our own kind so that there are more of us afterwards than before. It’s a measurable kind of growth that gives the kingdom of God a net increase. It is fruit that truly glorifies God.

In humans, menopause is natural, inevitable. You don’t cure it; you might bring it on early or delay it. But it’s normal in the life cycle of females. Whatever brand of church you prefer; evangelical, liturgical, Pentecostal, non-denominational; go count the babies in the nursery, then deduct the children of members and the transferees, and see what you have left. Then ask yourself this question, “Who sterilized the members of my church?” I’m not going to tell you, but go look in the mirror.

Sadly, I don’t think the menstrual cycle of the church can be turned on artificially. It needs a miracle. Is it possible to prevent barrenness from spreading to the remnant of faith communities, those still viable with God’s life? Maybe, but maybe not.

Any church that won’t discuss sex (that it’s holy and a gift from God and it’s how we have kids); or a church that single-parents all the kids using males only; or that excludes the women from all the vital roles; well, that church won’t reproduce much anymore… unless virgin births become a lot more common.