Jumping into Lake Michigan on January 1st is, I’m sure, a very cold, brutal, and painful experience. However, there are scores of people who do it every January. Willingly diving into a vigorous face-to-face summit with reality is a similar experience. You are going to get hit abruptly with the cold, hard, brutal wave of reality. But it is necessary if you truly desire to see the reverse of decline in your church.

Go ahead. Jump in. God is waiting with a warm towel to wrap around you and move with you to the next level. A vigorous face to face summit with reality will put you on the road to reaching the summit of your ministry calling.

Unearthing these realities as described in the previous chapter is only the beginning. Church leaders must recognize the need for change—change for the better—the need for improvement.

One major objective for each of us in all aspects of life is improvement. We are incessantly seeking to improve some feature or component of life, be it physical, intellectual, or spiritual. When we discover certain truths of undesirable development (such as decline in the church), we have two choices: ignore it and let things continue in the direction they are headed or seek and develop strategic plans for improvement. The first choice is like sticking our heads in the sand. The second response usually requires a change of course, and this often goes against our nature. We are creatures of habit, not of change.

Seeing how things truly are in your ministry from an objective perspective can be a harsh reality check for a church. Indeed, the further a church has slumped into decline, the more harsh the reality may be. Without the realization of the brutal facts, the church may never resolve to truly attempt to reverse the trends of decline.

When the reality of your situation is presented to and realized by the church, it is important that you identify with the necessity of the situation. Identifying the situation is not where the struggle begins. The battle to turn around begins only when we identify with the necessity of the situation.

The biblical book of Nehemiah renders a great study on the elements of this chapter. Nehemiah identified with the needs of the city of Jerusalem. He felt compassion for the people living there, for the rich heritage of the City of David (Jerusalem), and for the God he and his forefathers   served. If Nehemiah had not identified with the needs of the city of his fathers, a city that he probably had never seen or visited, the book of Nehemiah would never have been written. Nehemiah would never have left the comforts of the king’s palace. Jerusalem would have remained in ruins until God raised up another leader.

Verse four of chapter one of the book of Nehemiah says, “I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” When you read this passage in Nehemiah, do you think of how long it has been since you wept and fasted over broken down walls? It has been said that one will never rebuild until he or she comes to the point of weeping over the ruins.

Be brave. Be bold. Be broken-hearted and obedient. Serve God as He leads. He will deliver and cause the rebuilding of your church.

For more information on Identifying with the Necessity of the Situation and reversing declining trends in your church, contact George Yates and SonC.A.R.E. Ministries.