It's 10:00 o'clock Sunday morning. Preacher, do you know where the people are?

For the umpteenth time the preacher steps into the pulpit with that awful knot in the pit of the stomach. The feeling is not the feeling of inadequate preparation -- although some Sundays the sermon tastes more like it was nuked too briefly in the microwave than seasoned in the crockpot. The feeling is the sinking acknowledgement that fewer people are in attendance this week than last week, and this month than last month, and this year than last year.

There are tell-tale signs. On a "good Sunday" the choir takes up a fourth of the space it needed thirty-five years ago. Fewer worshippers translate into less money to replace the stained glass window with the B-B hole or the carpet now thread-bare with age. The preacher's voice echoes off the walls of the sparsely populated sanctuary as one more unpleasant reminder that the "good old days" are gone.

Like the Psalmist, the preacher ponders, "How do I sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" The sanctuary that once was uncomfortably empty is nearing desperately empty. Almost every month, the church board wrestles with the question, "Should we relocate in another part of town?" Some are even wondering whether the congregation ought to close.

One report estimates that 80% of the congregations of the old main-line denominations are either on a plateau or in decline.1 Another report indicates that of the 350,000 churches in the United States, 100,000 will not survive the next decade. According to Lyle Schaller, "An average of fifty to sixty congregations in American Protestantism choose to dissolve every week compared to perhaps five to ten that are able to and willing to redefine their role."2 Little wonder pastors ask how to proclaim the good news when so many in congregations (often including the pastor) are discouraged, even despairing.

In this article, we first identify leading characteristics of the declining congregation. We then posit some realistic goals for preaching in this situation. Finally, we offer some possible strategies the preacher can undertake in the sermon to help it have a positive effect in a situation of decline.

Dynamics at Work in Situations of Decline

Congregations in decline often feel a sense of discouragement, helplessness, and despair. They see themselves as the remnants of a once-vibrant fellowship that used to enjoy full pews, full classrooms, and the respect of the neighborhood and the community. The tone of their worship is somber, even funereal.

The declining congregation frequently experiences a general loss of self-esteem. Rather than celebrating those who are present, members mourn those who are absent. The church is nostalgic, languishing on memories of days gone by. In reference to their diminished situation, members sometimes ask, "What is wrong with us?" If other congregations in the community are growing, people may ask in anguish, "Why are these other churches growing while we shrink?"