On Wednesday Night, May 29th, we will have a discussion about St. John’s Syndrome. For the last year or so, I have been serving on a team in our Chattahoochee Baptist Association called the Strengthening Churches Team. Why would a Baptist Association need such a team?  We need such a team because most churches are suffering from a Church growth disease called “St. John’s Syndrome.”

St. John’s Syndrome is a reference to the Lord’s message by the Apostle John to the 7 Churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2 & 3.  Each church had started out well but gradually became less effective as it grew older.  Just like the churches in Revelation, most churches go through a similar life cycle. There is excitement when the birth of the church takes place, followed by rapid growth for the next 10-20 years. Then the church goes into a “plateau” which may last for 20-40 years. After that, the church goes into maintenance mode ministry as churchmembers try to keep all the programs going that were working during the earlier glory days. This decline ultimately ends in the death of the church.

Another church growth expert describes St. John’s Syndrome as a condition where many churches after 40 years of growth become lukewarm and are simply “going through the motions.”  They are nolonger excited about “The Great Commission” or leading people to Christ.  They are satisfied as long as the church is meeting budget.

Wednesday Night, we will be looking at Revelation 2 & 3 and asking how the Lord would diagnose Northlake.

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