preaching

Is Your Church Declining or Growing?

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You may have heard some of the discouraging statements about church closures recently. A study by the National Trust of Canada “predicted that one-third of Canada’s 27,000 faith buildings, most of which are Christian, would likely close permanently in the next 10 years.”[i] The narrative around church closures includes conversations about the decline of religious affiliation in Canada. A January 8, 2022 Global News Report stated: “Religiosity in Canada is at an all-time low, with recently released data from Statistics Canada showing only 68 per cent of Canadians 15 or older now report having a religious affiliation. It’s the lowest it’s been since they first started tracking this statistic in 1985.[ii] The Canadian Institute for Empirical Church Research, in a 2024 article, stated an opposing view, saying “overall the Canadian Christian Church had only 2% fewer net congregations in 2019 (23,675) than they did in 2009 (24,138).”[iii] While pointing out that there are only a few fewer churches, the article acknowledged that religious affiliation is indeed down.

I understand that churches do sometimes close. The church I started in as a youth pastor no longer exists. At the same time, I am very encouraged as I think of the churches I have served as a transitional pastor over the last 5 years.

I have served seven churches, of which three were growing even during their transition, and all the rest were stable. Not one of the churches was in continual decline.

So what might this mean for us as pastors and church leaders?

There may be times when a church should close. Some of our rural communities are declining as people move away for school and jobs, which may mean a church closes for lack of people. Some churches may need to close because they have lost their mission and are no longer serving as a church, but a Christian club for a few dedicated members.

So what does this mean for church leaders?

We need to remind ourselves that we are serving God’s church. It is His church. While we can definitely do our part, we need to ask God to step in and bring revival where necessary and grow the church. We need to remind the church of our mission to make disciples who make other disciples. We need to give people hope and joy in their relationship with Jesus. We need to look for ways to bring spiritual renewal and transformation into our congregations, beginning with us.

We cannot lead people where we aren’t going first. Are you hungry for God? Are you digging into His Word, hungry for more of Him? Are you reading books on spiritual renewal? Are you praying and inviting others to pray with you? Are you loving your neighbours and those in the community around the church building?

Pastors, God wants us to use our gifting and calling to draw people ever closer to Jesus. I am convinced that when people fall in love with Jesus again, they will come alive. They will experience Him at work in their lives. As we ask for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit, He will fill us and empower us for holy living and bold sharing of the gospel.

Quit preaching “self-help” sermons. Preach Jesus from the Gospels. Preach about the filling of the Holy Spirit. Introduce spiritual disciplines and invite your church to practice them. Show your members the full life that can be theirs.

God is still at work. He is still drawing new people to Himself. New believers are asking to be baptized. Some of your members are hungry and searching for more of Jesus. Encourage those who are already searching and ask God to open the hearts of others.

Are churches closing? Yes, some are, but yours does not need to be one of them. Be proactive. Do not assume the decline of your church is inevitable. God is still at work, renewing believers and reviving churches. May yours be one of those.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

[i] New report suggests opening churches to the masses as attendance dwindles

By The Canadian Press

Published: June 22, 2025 at 7:43AM EDT https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/new-report-suggests-opening-churches-to-the-masses-as-attendance-dwindles/

[ii] [1] ‘Gone by 2040’: Why some religions are declining in Canada faster than ever

By Ashleigh Stewart  Global News

Posted January 8, 2022 5:00 am

 Updated January 17, 2022 3:21 pm https://globalnews.ca/news/8471086/religion-decline-canada/

[iii] Hope For the Future: The 2021 Canadian Census

Rev. Dr. Lee Beachhttps://flourishingcongregations.org/hope-for-the-future-the-2021-canadian-census/

Invite Books to Mentor You

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Every leader benefits from reading regularly. Even those who do not enjoy reading can benefit from disciplining themselves to read. The authors we read become our mentors. We can benefit from being mentored by those whom we may never meet and who do not know us personally, but who pour into our lives through their written words. Many of us do not have access to pastoral mentors; these authors can become that for us.

As you read, you will find certain authors that you connect with or who seem to speak into your context in a way that you find helpful. There are certain authors I have read at different times depending on the situations I was working in or issues I was facing. Choosing a book allows you the opportunity to tailor your mentoring experience to your specific needs.

Let me share four authors and some of their books I have personally benefited from.

Nelson Searcy is the – founder and lead pastor of The Journey Church in New York and author of a many church leadership books. Many of Searcy’s books are about a specific system that he has developed in his church. I found many of the principles to be adaptable to my situation even in a smaller rural church.

A few of his books that I have benefited from are:

  • Fusion: Turning First-Time Guests into Fully – Engaged Members of Your Church
  • Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups
  • The Generosity Ladder: Your Next Step to Financial Peace
  • Maximize: How To Develop Extravagant Givers In Your Church

Andy Stanley is the – founder and lead pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia and author of many books, mostly about church leadership. I especially appreciated his teaching on preaching and vision setting.

A few of his books I have benefited from are:

  • Deep and Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend
  • Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication
  • Visioneering: God’s Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Personal Vision
  • Seven Practices of Effective Ministry

Preston Sprinkle is an – author, speaker, and teacher. I have especially appreciated his books addressing gender and same sex attraction, as well as other issues of today.

Here are a few of his books that have helped me understand the discussion around these issues better:

  • Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say
  • People to Be Loved: Why Homosexuality Is Not Just an Issue
  • Go: Returning Discipleship to the Front Lines of Faith
  • Fight: A Christian Case for Non-Violence

Thom Rainer –  is a writer, researcher, speaker, and founder of Church Answers, a website where many pastors connect and learn together about church ministry and the life of a pastor. His books are usually short but filled with practical advice about the church.

Here are a few of his books I have enjoyed:

  • Becoming a Welcoming Church
  • I Will: Nine Traits of the Outwardly Focused Christian
  • Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church
  • Unchurched Next Door

I read a lot, but these are a couple of authors I have read often and enjoyed how they spoke into my life and ministry.

Invite leaders to mentor you as you read their books. Learn from their experience and expertise. Look for a couple of nuggets that apply directly to you as you read. And keep on learning.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2024 Reading Experience.

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I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.

WE SPEAK: Proclaiming Truth in an Age of Talk – by Mike Baker, J.K. Jones, and Jim Probst

We Speak is laid out as a teaching chapter followed by five daily readings to keep the content in your mind over the week. The Discussion Guide at the back makes a book one could use for a small group or class setting. The authors remind us that “our message all these years later is still the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.” (p. 19) As followers of Jesus, we can say many things and talk about all of who God is and what Jesus has done, but the basic message comes down to what Jesus did in bringing us salvation. This is the message we have for others. We need to recognize the urgency of speaking the message, and the responsibility that is place by God on us to share that message. We may not feel qualified to speak, but we can all talk about the hope that we have. Let’s continue to speak.

Continually Collect More Tools of the Trade

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If you have ever worked on a car or built a deck, you know the value of a good tool. With the right tool the work becomes easier and you see better results. The same is true for a pastor. We benefit from having good tools to help us.

Some of you may immediately think of tools like a good commentary or online study tools. These are great and we need those, but I’m thinking more along the lines of the ideas and questions we come across in our reading and study.

Sermon Tools

Over the years I have gathered many questions that I use regularly to help me better dig into the scripture I am preparing to preach. Referring to my pates of collected questions and processes has enhanced my sermon preparation. These are questions like:

  1. What does it say?
  2. What does it not say?
  3. Could it mean what it says?

Sometimes I move through these three questions quickly, other times, if it is a difficult or controversial section of scripture, I tend to slow down and make sure these questions help clarify what God’s Word is truly saying.

One question that I have found helpful to me, especially because I am usually preaching to a congregation of all ages is:

4. “How will this sermon engage with a 12 – year – old boy?”

I want to preach to everyone, but if I can get a pre-teen boy to be engaged, I will most likely I will engage with the rest of the congregation as well.

Here are a sample of a few more questions:

  1. How does this speak to unbelievers?
  2. What is the audience’s thoughts, feelings, emotions, struggles, needs – relating to the big idea of this teaching segment or message?
  3. What are some practical steps the listener can take?

One process I use is a diagram that helps me to move through a scripture passage in a way that moves my study from the text, to historical context, through the Biblical theology, to how it is fulfilled in Christ, and then to how we need to apply the scripture today. Following this process keeps me from taking a shortcut and miss an important step in clearly understanding what the scripture text is saying.

Prayer Tools

I have come across some great ideas for prayer, whether personal or corporate. In his book, The Hour that Changes the World, Dick Eastman suggests praying for an hour i12 periods of 5 minutes. I try to use this prayer plan about twice a week. The forms of prayer are: 1. Praise and worship 2. Waiting on the Lord 3. Confession 4. Praying scripture 5. Watching 6. Intercession 7. Petitions 8. Thanksgiving 9. Song 10. Meditation 11. Listening 12. Praise

I have used this one-hour prayer plan many times for myself as well as for a prayer group.

Pastoral Tools

One of the “tools” I need to remind myself of occasionally is to “move slowly through the crowd.” It is easy for me to have things on my mind and things to do, but there is benefit of moving slowly through the crowd prior to or after the Sunday morning service because it gives me opportunities to connect with people, or for them to stop me with a question or comment. It helps me to be more present in the moment and available to people.

I don’t know what tools you have gathered over the years that have helped equip you to improve your ministry and leadership, but I hope you have many. I would love to hear from you about the tools that help you. Send me an email to share some of your tools with me.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Responding To An Audience That Doesn’t Like Your Sermon

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What do you do when you receive negative feedback on a sermon?

First, do not feel personally attacked. It may be that the sermon was clear and accurate to scripture but the hearer didn’t like what God’s Word was saying. When I hear a negative reaction to a sermon – or to even decisions I make – I ask myself some questions to clarify the situation. Was I at fault? Or is the negative reaction in response to scripture says?

Is it true and accurate to scripture?

As preachers of God’s word, we need to be careful to say what scripture says. We need to be careful that we don’t misrepresent what God is says or misuse scripture to make it say what we want it to say. This means doing good research and study to ensure you are clear on what scripture says.

Did I present it correctly?

As we preach what scripture says, we also need to make sure we present this truth correctly. This could be ensuring we do not omit sections or aspects of scripture that we disagree with or do not like. We also need to remind ourselves that all of scripture speaks into the sermon of the day. Is there another side to the issue? Are there other scriptures that give a fuller view? Is there another scripture that needs to be referenced in order to give a complete picture of what is taught?

Did I explain the situation it was addressing?

There are times when it is helpful to give the background to the context of the scripture we are preaching on. It can help the listener first understand the message correctly, and secondly, figure out how to apply it to his or her own situations correctly. The historical background can give some meaning to why the author is addressing what he is addressing.

Was I wrong?

I ask myself this question sometimes because I want to make sure that I did not say something that was wrong or even hurtful. Yes, I need to present scripture accurately in a sermon, but I can choose what I say about it, or how I say it. If I did say something wrong, then I need to admit it. If I misrepresented God’s Word then I need to correct it.

Is a follow-up or clarification needed?

One sermon I preached brought a lot of response from the church members. Some who responded to me were thankful that I had said what I said. The sermon clarified something that they had been wondering about. The same sermon also brought responses from some who were pushing back against what I said. They did not like how I had interpreted what the verses said. Others were wondering how what I said fit with the rest of scripture. I began to realize, from both the negative and positive responses, that this was a topic that needed some more clarification. I decided to use the next Sunday to spend more time on the same scripture and the same topic, digging in a little deeper to explain how this fit with the rest of scripture and how I had come up with the interpretation and application of the verses that I did.

I was serving this church as a Transition Pastor, so it was a great opportunity to remind the church that their next Lead Pastor may occasionally teach something they disagree with and understand scripture differently than what each member personally thought. I tried to use this situation to encourage the church that their new pastor would likely have different opinions on some things and that was okay.

As preachers, we will occasionally say things that our audience doesn’t like. If their push back is against what God’s Word says, then it is an issue between them and God. If it is about something I said, then I need to make sure I was saying what was correct, and if not, apologize and correct myself.

Preaching God’s Word is a privilege. We want to handle it correctly.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Preaching With Boldness

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All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3: 16-17

Recently, I began a sermon with this statement: “I am going to talk to you about something this morning, that is very hard for us.”

I was preaching through 1 Peter. This morning we were looking at 1 Peter 2: 13 – 3: 7, which is all about submission. Not submission to God, but submitting to governing authorities, to masters, to husbands and wives. This is not a topic I would have chosen to preach about, except that it was in the middle of the book of the Bible that I was preaching through. Submitting to the government is not a popular topic among many church people, yet that was exactly what God’s Word was talking to us about in that scripture. Because it was God’s Word, and not my own ideas, I could preach it with confidence.

If 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 above is right, then we know that there will be scriptures that rebuke and correct, not just encourage us or make us feel good. When the preacher makes sure to preach what God’s Word says, then the preacher can speak with confidence and boldness.

I remember a person commenting after a sermon I preached that they thought I was brave to preach what I did. It actually surprised me a bit. I had preached on money, teaching what scripture said. I didn’t consider it brave. I was just preaching what God said, but this comment revealed the reality that there are certain scriptural truths that people do not want to hear. There will be people who are upset with you when you preach biblical sermons that challenge their personal beliefs, or even the beliefs and practices of their church.

Scripture occasionally points out where we come up short and need to make corrections. As a preacher, I can preach boldly as long as I clearly say what scripture says. It is God’s Word. If the Bible says it, God says it. I should have no problem teaching it with confidence.

At the same time, we need to preach with gentleness. When we teach about how God created people male and female, and only male and female with no other options, we can teach with gentleness in light of those who are personally struggling with this or have family who are.

We can preach about money and giving to the church, but also recognize that some are struggling to make ends meet.

We can preach on the importance of forgiveness even as we recognize that some people have been hurt deeply and personally in a way that is hard to move on from.

God calls us preachers to preach the whole truth of His Word. We cannot pick and choose only the things that people want to hear. This is one of the benefits of preaching through a book of the Bible. We come across passages that we might not have chosen to preach about.

If we are careful to preach what scripture says we can preach with confidence. We don’t need to be embarrassed to preach counter-cultural truths. We don’t need to be afraid that people won’t want to hear what the scripture says.

If we are preaching something that scripture never said, then we better hesitate to say it. Yet we can preach with confidence when we know that we are saying what God said. Let’s continue to declare God’s truth with clarity and confidence.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Sermons That Change Lives

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A history teacher tells you what happened in the past. Or, they might inspire you to travel to historic sites. A first aid instructor will help you get a first aid certification. Or, they might inspire you to pursue a career as an EMT.

All instructors convey information…but some inspire. In the same way, sermons can convey information…but they should inspire the listener to action. Something should happen as a result of hearing the sermon.

As I was looking ahead to writing this blog, I heard some great material on a podcast I follow(Revitalize & Replant with Mark Clifton) where these two pastors were talking about how to write meaningful sermons. They referred to a model you may be familiar with. They said every sermon needs to answer the following 3 “what” questions: What? So What? and Now What?

The first question – “what?” asks what the scripture says. This is the research that forms the content of the sermon.

The next question asks, “so what?” This focuses on the importance of the scripture. Why is it something we are discussing? Why do we need to know this?

The third question is the one I want to focus on. Most preachers will do a pretty good job on the researching and writing of a sermon. Many identify the importance and value of the scripture. But many sermons fall short on the final question: “now what?”

“Now What?” is about the application of the sermon. Actually, it’s about even more than that. It is about inspiring the listener to want to do something as a result of the sermon they just heard. They cannot just go home with their family, eat their Sunday dinner, and go on with life.

A good preacher will not be satisfied until the sermon calls the listener to action.

Writing a good “now what” conclusion for a sermon requires an understanding of the scripture and what God is intending to communicate. The preacher takes it to heart and recognizes the action God is calling him to. He knows the content so well that the action required emerges from the text.

Further, the preacher needs to understand his local context, because God does not speak to people in a vacuum. We all live in a certain country or province or community. We all have certain political realities we live in. The preacher needs to know how to make the call to action one that fits his local church. This is one reason why it is important for the preacher to know the people who will be listening to the sermon. The application is then connected to the local setting.

I have discovered that giving a few ideas how to respond may help some people, while others will have already felt God speaking to them about a specific response.

Beyond just suggesting ways to respond, the preacher needs to find a way to inspire the congregation to respond. Just to be clear, it the Word of God by the power of the Spirit that changes lives, yet the pastor needs to prayerfully work in tandem with the Spirit to determine what the action should be and how to describe it in such a way that makes people want to respond.

In Acts 2 Peter preaches a powerful sermon. Look at the response of the people in verse 37:

 “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’”

The people were not satisfied with information. They felt a response was required of them, but they were unsure what to do. Peter responds: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

As a preacher, you want people at the end of your sermon to be asking, “what shall we do?” So take the time to answer this question before you conclude. This should not just be tacked on at the end, but something that is given equal consideration as the body of the sermon because it is just as important.

If you want your sermons to change lives, you must help people see what is expected of them after hearing the sermon.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Rehearsal: A Valuable Aspect of Sermon Preparation

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I was an actor in a drama years ago when I was attending Bible College. We received our script and then spent time getting to know our lines. One of the key aspects of preparing for the final show was rehearsals. After months of rehearsing, first individual scenes, and then the entire drama, we debuted a successful show that went quite smoothly and was enjoyed by all.

As pastors and teachers in the church, we regularly prepare presentations. We work on lessons to teach to a class and sermons to preach to the congregation. We all have our methods of preparing for our presentations. We may do some research and pray through what God wants us to say. We may work at preparing just the right outline and finding just the right words to express our thoughts clearly. One aspect that some of us miss is rehearsal..

I like to practice my sermon at least once and have experienced numerous benefits.

  • I hear what it sounds like.

Preaching is not the same as writing a paper. In a paper I might write formally, and there are often clues such as headings and formatting that visually indicate the organization of topics.

However, when preaching, the content is delivered audibly so the same visual clues no longer apply. That means that it needs to be more conversational, even if the audience isn’t responding to you. You need to pretend you are speaking with them. I get to hear if it sounds too formal and change the wording before I preach it “live”.

  • I hear what I sound like.

I can hear my voice as I preach it. I can adjust by slowing down or speeding up at sections I want to highlight. I can hear if I sound judgmental, or if I sound like I care about the audience as I preach to them. If my voice goes too high, or if I say a word in a funny way, I can work at correcting that. Sometimes, what sounds good on paper sounds wrong when we speak it, so I can adjust that.

  • I can anticipate their responses as I practice.

I try to do this as I write, but sometimes, as I practice out loud, my mind hears how it sounds and reminds me of a question that may be raised by what I just said. I can then determine if and how I need to address that question.

  • I get a better idea of how long it will take.

Often there is an expectation on how long – or short – our sermon or lesson should be. When practicing it out loud, I can time myself and get a pretty good idea of how long I will take. I can also adjust to the time before I go live.

  • I can see how my actions will look or feel like.

As a presenter, I enter into the presentation with my whole body. I can smile and frown. I can raise my hands in excitement or open my arms wide to imply something big.

As I practice the sermon, I move around and go through my actions as I expect them to be. If they seem awkward I can either drop the actions or practice them enough to feel comfortable using them. Some presenters will record themselves so they can see what they actually look like.

  • I get it ingrained in my head.

Speaking the sermon out loud helps me to get it ingrained in my mind so that I am not just reading content, but it becomes part of who I am. In this way, hopefully, it will not just sound like I am reciting information I have researched but will sound like something I have learned personally and am passionate about sharing with those listening.

  • I think of new illustrations as I go.

Sometimes, practicing my sermon out loud will help me think of illustrations I didn’t think about when just writing words down. Saying the words out loud can remind me of something else that helps explain what I am teaching.

  • I can recognize when something needs to be reworked.

There are times when I have written things down in the wrong order. Just the other day I recognized that I was missing a section of the scripture I was preaching on. Somehow, I had missed including a place where we would read those verses. I was able to put that in because I noticed it in practice.

As we prepare for lessons and sermons, we want to do our best to communicate God’s truth accurately and creatively. Rehearsing your presentation is one way of making it even better.

Keep looking up,

Andy Wiebe

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

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I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.

ON BEING A PASTOR – by Derek Prime & Alistair Begg

This is a great book for any pastor, especially for one who is just starting out. It covers many aspects of the pastor’s role and how to do it well. It is a bit dated, yet most of the content still speaks to the pastoral role today. The first chapter is a great discussion on the call to be a pastor, pointing out that the role can be difficult, but very rewarding if this is what God wants you to do. The authors, both pastors with years of experience themselves, then talk about the character of the pastor, his home life, and how to lead a serve a congregation well. The authors both share examples of how they have applied the teaching in many sections of the book. It is good to see the way two different pastors do the work of ministry. A great book for anyone in ministry!

Book Reviews: Andy’s 2023 Reading Experience

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I will be sharing a brief review of every book I read this year. Hope you enjoy and hope it encourages you to keep reading.

INTEGRATIVE PREACHING – by Kenton C. Anderson

Integrative Preaching: A Comprehensive Model for Transformational Proclamation – by Kenton C. Anderson

Integrative Preaching is one of the best books on preaching I have read lately. Kenton Anderson diagrams a model that intends for sermon to reach both the mind and the heart. He describes this method in a number of ways. I especially like how he names each of the four steps of the sermon in ways that connect to the heart of a person: Engage, Instruct, Convict, and Inspire. I personally was most challenged to do a better job of Inspiring my listeners when I preach, not being satisfied with information alone, but driving home how the information should affect us and be lived out. An excellent book on how to build and deliver sermons that change lives.