Reblogged from Thom S. Rainer.
A truly frightening and sobering analysis. Here is a summary of Rainer’s report:
- The church refused to look like the community.
- The church had no community-focused ministries.
- Members became more focused on memorials.
- The percentage of the budget for members’ needs kept increasing.
- There were no evangelistic emphases.
- The members had more and more arguments about what they wanted.
- With few exceptions, pastoral tenure grew shorter and shorter.
- The church rarely prayed together.
- The church had no clarity as to why it existed.
- The members idolized another era.
- The facilities continued to deteriorate.
Hopping Hadrian's Wall 
I am fascinated by abandoned churches and wonder what caused it, how did it happen? Did it slowly dwindle away? Was there a split in members? Did a pastor leave and a new one couldn’t be found? Someone’s dreams and hopes were in that building. Someone’s love built it. What happened to all of that? What happened to make the church no longer a part of the community? The fact that it is left there to die is often a reminder to the community of what once was. Is that a good reminder or a bad reminder?