Tag Archives: church decline

7 Complexities of Expanding the Kingdom of God

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

The Urgent Call to Stop Being Gatherers and Start Being Expanders The statistics are sobering: 40 churches a day are closing in America. This is not just a crisis—it’s a spiritual emergency. The church is being outmaneuvered, outflanked, and outlasted … Continue reading →

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Choose Life: Why Churches Die (and How They Don’t Have To)

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

“I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19, NIV) Moses’ words were not spoken to individuals alone—they were spoken to a Local Faith Community … Continue reading →

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Reaching Your Community in Your Generation Weekend

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Artwork Credit: networkworld.com The world around us changes approximately every 18 months! Such change brings great challenges to our mission. Eagles In Leadership has designed a weekend to help you energize your congregation or organization to fulfill the Great Commission … Continue reading →

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Help! Our Community Is Changing! (Part 2)

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith (c) 1999 In part 1 we discussed the rise and decline of the urban church. We ended our Somewhere between the birth and the death of the local church selfishness took center stage, replacing self-sacrifice. … Continue reading →

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Help! Our Community Is Changing! (Part 1)

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith   (c) 1999 With tears in my eyes, I realized God had accomplished what He had set out to do among us. Our church now looked like our urban community, over 90% Hispanic. We had intentionally … Continue reading →

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Sick churches exhibit certain attitudes…

Posted on January 10, 2010 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith

Several years ago I can remember reading the following: “75% of American churches are dying, 23% are plateaued (by taking people from the dying churches), and only 2% of American churches are growing.” Having worked for three decades in the … Continue reading →

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