When Corporate Repentance is Not Enough

Why do some repentant ministries prosper while others close?

I was talking with a pastor who was grieving the closure of his former church. The church had a painful history but recently repented of the domineering spirit behind many of their crises. This was not the first church we have seen that, after repenting, ended up closing. However, such cases are anomalies compared to the many others that experienced a resurgence of fruitfulness following corporate repentance.

It got me thinking: Why do some churches benefit from corporate repentance (getting right with God and each other as a body) while others close? I’ve concluded that we “see through a glass darkly” about such things, but there are some possibilities.

I have also come to believe that, no matter what financial, demographic or programmatic stresses a ministry may be under, it is ultimately Jesus who pinches out the flame of their lampstand (Rev. 2:5). It is His church, redeemed by His blood and belonging fully to Him. Nothing can put out its flame unless He wills it so.

So, what would motivate the Lord Jesus to close a ministry which repented of issues in their history that were offensive to Him? Consider the following possibilities:

• The repentant ministry did not either identify and or address the root issue behind their needed repentance. They were sorry for some of what Jesus addressed with them, but the deep issue(s), ones that may have exposed their shame and disobedience, they avoided addressing. Such a church would have a momentary respite after its repentance, but then “return to its vomit” (2 Pet. 2:22) until they finally closed their doors.
• Another possibility is that the actions of their unbelief caused Jesus to decide to shutter their ministry beforehand and repentance would make no difference. It was the case in the days of Josiah. He led a grand revival in Judah, but the nation still went into exile. Their fate appears to have been decided by God ahead of the revival period (2 Kings 21:12-14).
• A church that repented might regress to their former behaviors. We often see churches face an immediate test after their repentance, where they have the opportunity to bring forth fruit of their repentance. Often they pass the test, but sometimes they don’t. Jesus is extremely patient with churches when they are unaware of the issues He has with them. But once they have owned them and repented, if they return to old attitudes, behaviors or bad doctrine, He takes a firmer approach in discipline, which includes closing their ministry.
• One of the things that surfaces in the Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation 2-3 is that Jesus expects more than repentance. Of the seven churches he addresses he calls five of them to repent, but He calls all seven to overcome. Jesus sees that a repentant church must overcome the issues that got them into trouble with Him in the first place. If they can’t or are unwilling to do so, they may not be able to replant, restart, or continue with their current DNA. In such a case, Jesus decides that it is best to “remove the lampstand.”

We may never know all the reasons why the Lord closes a repentant church until we join that “great cloud of witnesses.” Until then, we should strive to avoid such a fate by training ministry leaders to be in tune with the Spirit’s leading in every decision they make.

Mark Barnard serves with Blessing Point Ministries. He recently coauthored The Dance of the Gifts: How Ministry Leaders Can Discern God’s Will.