Top 5 Ways to Kill Your Church’s Momentum

There are many ways you can build momentum in your church, and there are many ways you can kill your momentum.

To help you avoid walking on any potential momentum killing landmines, here are five you need to know.

#1: Lack of prayer

“I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer,” is a famous phrase Martin Luther made over 500 years ago.

Now, we’re not saying you need to pray for three hours every day. Martin Luther’s situation and calling were unique. However, we are encouraging you to make an honest evaluation of how much you and your church pray.

If there is a lack of prayer in your life and the life or your church, then you can expect not to experience momentum that is inspired by God.

#2: Pragmatic preaching

Do you avoid preaching the gospel?

Are your sermons sprinkled with verses from the Bible?

If your preaching is pragmatic and void of proclaiming the gospel and teaching the Bible, then your church will not experience authentic momentum. Instead, you may see your church experience a moment of momentum that is not sustained for the long-term.

God is the source of momentum, and the way God inspires momentum is through the “means of grace,” such as prayer, preaching the gospel, and teaching the Bible.

#3: Focusing on what you “see”

We know that faith is "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). But we also know it's easy to focus on what’s right in front of us, which is what happened to Peter when he briefly walked on water with Jesus (Matt. 14:22-33).

For a moment, Peter walked on water. But he grew afraid and began to sink when he saw the wind (Matt. 11:29-30).

In the same way, when you “see” that things look bad, you may lose momentum if you place more faith in what you see than in who you believe.

#4: Taking the credit

Did your church recently experience new baptisms?

Have you welcomed an influx of new members?

Whatever momentum your church recently gained, fight the temptation to take the credit. You will be tempted in innocent ways when the members of your church praise you for your sermons or the work you’re doing. In these moments, express thanks, and give glory to God.

#5: Losing sight of your “why”

Casting vision is like putting gas in your car. Like putting gas in your car, you have to cast vision more than once. But the key is to consistently cast the vision for your church before their tank runs dry.

It’s human nature to forget something easily and for other things in life to take precedence. As a leader of your church, it’s important to regularly remind your people of what God has called you to do.

What killers of momentum would you add to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments below!