From the book, “What People Ask About The Church,” by Dale A. Robbins — 33 — This term has become used in recent years to describe a type of
church which has abnormal, dysfunctional characteristics. There are scores of people who
have been deeply wounded by an experience with such a church. It seems that most
communities have a congregation that fits in this category. They identify themselves as
Christians and may have good intentions of practicing scriptural ideals, but they seem to
continually strive with combined elements of unbalanced or unorthodox doctrines,
controversial government, disciplinary problems, irresponsible leadership — which
result in explosive turmoil, division, wounded and confused sheep, and a derogatory
reputation in their community. A dysfunctional church has sometimes been mislabeled as a cult. The
difference is, a cult is on a course of heresy based on misguided beliefs. However a
dysfunctional church may theoretically be based on the right course of Christianity, but
for the main part does not function the way it should. Keep in mind, every church has its
share of problems — that does not make it dysfunctional. But it's when such problems
dominate the church and actually cause its influence to become ineffectual or negative for
the cause of Christ. I regret to say that over my years of ministry I have come across
situations in churches that seem almost unbelievable. One such church was widely reputed
in the area for its continual controversy. The congregation was constantly fighting and
contending with each other — the turmoil had produced several splits over a period of
years. Every few months they would go on a tangent of promoting some new revelation or
doctrine, which would often be refuted later as heresy. There were repeated occurrences of
immorality among the leadership and congregation. Divorce within the church occurred 10
times more frequent than the rate of marriages. There were numerous financial scandals,
alleged embezzlements by the pastors, and scores of church creditors left unpaid. Rumors,
accusations, and slander were commonplace, causing injury and devastation to scores of
individuals. The mere mention of the church name to local merchants or residents would
invoke ridicule. Some might have presumed this to be some kind of weird cult, but it was
not. In reality this was a dysfunctional Christian church. A dysfunctional church will usually manifest several or all of the
following symptoms: 1. Unethical or immoral behavior tolerated in either leadership or
laity. A dysfunctional church must be brought in order, otherwise it will
cause irreparable harm for the cause of Christ in a community. If such a church has
denominational affiliation, experienced ministers and officials may be sent to try to
restore the fellowship back into scriptural order and stability. However, if the chaos is
severe enough and resists repeated remedies, they might find it necessary to actually the
close the church, temporarily or permanently. In many cases, a church of this kind can be put in order by: (1) Mature, godly, stable leadership. I regret to
say that the problem of a dysfunctional church usually begins with a problem in the
leadership. A congregation cannot rise above the level of their leaders. (2) Scriptural, balanced preaching and teaching.
The healthy church must get back on track with scriptural order. They need to hear the
whole counsel of God's Word, not merely pet doctrines or narrow minded opinions (2 Tim.
2:15). (3) A patient application of love and correction.
Just like parents, spiritual leaders must show the encouragement of love toward their
flock. And they must be willing to confront sin with correction or discipline when
necessary. (Eph. 4:15, 2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Tim. 4:2). (4) Breaking of spiritual strongholds. A stronghold
can usually be identified when the same troubling characteristics continue year after
year, although the faces within the congregation change. This problem has to be dealt with
through intensive prayer and spiritual authority (2 Cor. 10:4-5). (5) Congregational repentance and revival. Some of
the problems in a church cannot really be resolved until the people are willing to humble
themselves before God and seek repentance and revival: "If My people who are called
by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked
ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land"
(2 Chron. 7:14). If you find yourself in a dysfunctional church, it is important for you to recognize it for what it is. If you can remain without impairing the spiritual progress of you or your family, do so that you can pray for and support the needed remedies listed above. But if your spiritual well-being begins to suffer, it may be best to cut your ties and move on to a healthy fellowship. This article is copyrighted © by Dale A. Robbins, 1995, and is a publication of Victorious Publications, Grass Valley, CA 95949. Unless otherwise stated, all scripture references were taken from The New King James Bible, © Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.You may download for personal use as long as you retain credit to the author. Obtain permission before reproducing copies for any reason, by filling out our simple permission form. For media reproduction rights, or to obtain published quantities of this title, . |
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