Why Churches Die - Part Two - Inward vs. Outward

I think one of the major reasons that churches begin to decline and ultimately die is that they move from an Outward focus to an Inward focus. When new churches begin they have specific characteristics:
1. Mission focused
2. Limited bureaucracy
3. Desire to try new things
4. Focused on the community and unchurched
Over time as a church grows the focus slowly moves from those outside of the church to those inside of the church. The church begins asking all the wrong questions or not asking the right questions:
• Instead of “How do we grow?” they ask “How do we have security?”
• Instead of “What will work to reach people?” they ask “What ministries do we want in the church?”
• Instead of “What do we need to connect and be relevant with the unchurched?” they ask “What subjects are we most interested in studying, preaching on, and learning about small groups, worship services, etc…”
• They stop asking “What is working and what isn’t working?” and instead say, “This is what we’ve always done.”
Now in and of themselves none of these things is wrong. In fact many of them are good. But they should not become the driving force for the church. Luke 19:10 (NLT) says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” I truly believe that when churches lose the focus of reaching those who need Jesus, they have begun the slow descent to death.