MAJOR SALIENT AND SILENT KILLERS OF CHURCHES & MINISTRIES DEVELOPMENT TODAY

A lot of ministries and churches
have been facing numerous challenges that has hampered their ability to be
fruitful due to their inability to take note of silent killers or due to
ignorance. It is believed that the weakness of the vibrant ministry is hidden
in their strength. So we want to take note of some key killers or fruitful
ministry that we may take note also how to avoid them and attend to them if
they are limiting our full manifestation in ministry. From study, we have
realized that these factors have contributed to too many conflicts been
experienced in most churches today. These factors can be:

1. DIVINE

The divine challenges can be as a
response to our failure to pursue ministry as desired by God over the
assignment committed into our hands. Many of us are running our own ministry
and not His own ministry. Our calling might not be popular but as long as it is
His assignment we must but stick to it, for He shall bring the unknown to the
known. Seek not to be known (Popular), but seek to know (Depth of God’s
knowledge) and the world will seek to know you. When it seems we’ve hit the
brick wall it might be God trying to catch our attention. Jonah’s case was a
typical example.

2.  DESIGN:

Our limitations can be by our own doing.
Limiting our own growth by unbelief, ignorance, wrong choices and decision,
costly and irreparable mistakes and stubbornness.  Studying Israel’s journey with God, reveals
that Israel’s relationship with God often collapse in 3 dimension in a
sequence:

a.      The
Collapse of the Act of Worship (Decay Personal Spirituality and true worship)

b.  The
Collapse of the Tabernacle (Decay Alter, damaged pulpits and closed heaven) II Chronicles 36:19

c.     
The Collapse of the Walls of Jerusalem
(Conflicts, crises, attacks and breakaway) Nehemiah
1:3, II Kings 14:13,

3 DEMONIC:

 The Church
is designed to be battle ready against the gates of hell, “…I will build my
church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18) meaning the gates of
hell is ever and will constantly wage war against the church, but they shall
not prevail. Therefore, there are battles against the Church that is
demonically orchestrated to bring down the work of God. Glory be unto the Lord
for our victory is sure.

NOTICEABLE KILLERS OF CHURCHES
& MINISTRIES TODAY

Resent research shows that there is an increase in the numbers of churches
that were once vibrant but today they are no more striving, suffice me to say that, some of them
have actually shutdown. We are not celebrating over them but we are studying
some of their mistakes that we can avoid them and hope that their giants will
rise once again. Some of this salient and silent killers includes:

1.      Wrong
Foundation (Psalms 11:3): this includes

·  Joint Founder: where there is no clear
leadership structure. These resulted in tension among the co-founders.

·   Wrong Motive: where the purpose of running the
ministry is solely for profit making in terms of money

·   Wrong Interpretation of Vision: as simple as it
is, this has really become an issue, pastors now come up after years of
ministry claiming that they didn’t hear God well when they started the
ministry, so they have to shut down.

2. WRONG STRUCTURE: Studying the churches that have exceeded 100years in Nigeria, one
can observe that there strength is often hidden in their church structure. Many
of them have been through various generations and dispensation. Many of our
mega churches today are still in their first generation (Founding G.O) and if
the line of succession is not well structured it can cause serious problem for
the church. We must setup proper church structure and leadership system if our
ministry will not fissile out suddenly. Wrong leadership structure, strategy,
initiatives and church polity will adversely affect the church today and in the
future.

3.  DANGEROUS MINISTRY SUPPORTERS/SPONSORSHIP: Not all open doors are divinely opened doors,
many pastors have mortgaged their ministry and callings. Dangerous sponsors
that will remove God’s hands from our ministry must be prayed against. A lot of
pastors lost the church they used years to build because of dangerous
financiers. It is glorious when we are supported by godly helpers but a
dangerous ones can destroy years of labour.

4.   ABUSE OF POWER AND MISUSE OF GRACE: A lot of pastors are experts in this categories,
majority of pastors are good in using, neglecting, devaluing and dumping of
people. Remove the title and post you occupy in the church now, and see how
many people will respect and value you. Grace made us but many pastors have
misused that position. People don’t leave church, people only leave a pastor;
when they leave you they will go to another pastor, therefore cherish the
people, for without them there is no ministry. (Matthew 23:27-28, II Timothy 3:5, Titus 1:16)

5.  TERRIBLW CHURCH IMAGING: Majority of pastors don’t even understand the word “Church
Image”, this has contributed to steady decline of the ministry. Church image
has to do with church reputation, what the church or ministry is known for,
what is predominant in your church and the kind of personality that the church
is projecting.  When the name of a
particular church is mentioned, people have tagged them with the terrible
incidences that occurs in them. If our churches are known for controversies,
indiscipline, lying, rebellion, immorality etc. we must tackle as soon as
possible.

6. WRONG ASSOCIATES AND UNGODLY WORKERS: there is a lot of church grabbing and breakaway
occurring around us and research shows the root cause as the existence of wrong
associates and ungodly workers. Sinful associates and workers will destroy and
bring a huge set back to the church. Imagine an associate who engages in sexual
perversion, chief usher who steals church offerings etc

7.  PURSUIT OF GREENER PASTURE: Recently came across churches with big cathedral with 5
members, and on enquiry, discovered that the G.O has traveled to UK for greener
pasture, handing over the church to his wife to pastor. Another one also was
handed over to an associate and the pastor has travelled to Abuja for better
use of his prophetic calling, the church died anyway. If God has called you to
raise Him the people, stay with them, no one can lead that ministry to success
except you whom God has release the grace for exploit upon. (John 21:16-17).

8.  WRONG HANDLING OF DISPUTES: Dispute is a common factor when it comes to people coming
together, and we as a church is the coming together of different people in our
level of faith, level of knowledge and in our level of grace, therefore dispute
is normal, but the way and manner we handle dispute will determine if it will
result in conflicts that can lead to crises. Wrong timing in handling of
dispute will further set the house on fire. As a leader we must be proactive
and just in the handling of dispute within our camps. Early church had similar
dispute but was handled swiftly and timely (Acts
6:1-7).

9. LACK OF GROWTH VISION: Church/Ministry growth is not magical but deliberate, if
there is not laid down pattern and plan for growth, decline is certain. Pastors
folds their hands wishing for growth, doing nothing to bring growth ends up
killing their ministry. God’s promised is not promised fulfilled, we must work
to proof that we believe in that promise, thereby nursing it to fulfilment. God
promised Israel Canaan Land, yet He demands that they fight the settlers they
met there (Deuteronomy 7:1-5). Israel
didn’t walk into Canaan, they fought to take it (Matthew 11:12). If you stop growing, you have started dying.

1  WRONG ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE: It is absolutely dangerous when we fail to have an
administrative system that caters for the physical aspect of the church. We
have seen church administration that allows cheating, politics and injustice
which gave rise to rebellious waves upon waves, thereby killing the development
of the church. There are serious allegations against church administrators as
killers of the future of the church, resulting in series of unfruitfulness and
corruption.

    WRONG CHURCH LEADERSHIP: Everything they say ride and falls on leadership, truly a
lot of churches are no more today because of wrong leadership. It is dangerous
to ordain a carnal and sinful pastor as a leader. Pastors that are difficult,
selfish with bad relational skills are danger to the church. Recently, I met a
pastor who fought with the members a church, he was transferred to another
branch and conflict with his church members erupt again. Now a vibrant church
that was handed over to him is at the verge of collapse.

   PASTORAL OR LEADERSHIP SCANDAL: A pastor recently confessed to have had carnal knowledge
of women in his church on his church alter, the incident erupted and a church
of 2000 members reduced to 150 thereabout. If there is anything we as a
minister must fight with and ask for grace to never fall victim of is the
sinkhole call scandal. This is one wrong step that can wreck a might ship, many
that have fallen never recovered and the few that recovered their story never
remains the same. Beloved! God will forgive but the people won’t forget.

     LOSS OF DIRECTION, FOCUS AND VISION: Ministry is about vision, direction and
specifics, when vision is lost, all you have left is ambition, when the church
loses focus, and we will begin to venture into many areas that we are not
endowed for. Stagnation is not far from a ministry that loses her purpose and
focus. All manners of doctrine will find its way into our fold, easily toss
around by the wave of strange doctrine.

     MINISTRY ISOLATION: God calls us alone but hands us over unto the hands of godly mentors
and fathers who are bigger umbrella under which we enjoy special coverings.
Many churches and ministers have failed to understand the pivot role of
mentors, this has led to the difficulties encountered along the way. Fathers
paves way, they shields and defends your ministry in the face of attacks from
the enemies. Their depth of experience and wisdom is designed to create a way
of escape in tough times for us and our ministry. Study shows that many of the
churches that packed neither had a godly mentor nor disobeyed their fathers.

    SPIRITUALITY FAMINE: When you stop feeding on the things of the spirit, the church starts
dying. The scarcity of the word of God on our pulpit is the first thing the
enemy will want to eliminates, followed by our vibrant and prevailing prayer
life. The enemy’s attacks will then focus on our ability to evangelize, the
garment of holiness and purity before attacking everything that binds us
together as a family.  The church that
loses her ability to hear from God, See God’s move in their gatherings, and
speak out about the gospel is dying and needs to be revived and resuscitated.

    CHRIST DEPARATURE: Can Christ depart from His church? Yes he can as long as we find the
things that Christ hates in our churches. The manifestation of the things
Christ distaste will eliminate the presence of the Lord in a church. The things
Christ hates are found in the letters written to the 7 churches in the book of
revelation (Revelation 2:1-2, 9, 13; 3:1).
Some of which includes:

·       
Sexual pervasion

·       
Lying and deception on the alter

·       
Demonic devices and equipment

·       
Carnality and sinful behavior

·       
Rebellion and betrayal

·       
False doctrine

·       
Fake teachers and fake prophets

·       
Idolatry and false gods

(C) Oluwatuyi Niyi (2021)
WhatsApp: 08077814990
Email: crcinfo2004@gmail.com
churchresuscitation@blogger.com
CRM _”…for the work of the ministry, for the edification of the Church”_