miles to church . When the church membership demographic is significantly different from the community ’ s , that church is already on a path toward decline .
Some neighborhood churches became inwardly focused . They were originally founded to reach and minister to the community , but over time they became a religious social club . They began
“ The comeback of the neighborhood church is part of a larger trend . Churches are reconnecting with their communities .”
to serve themselves instead of serving others . Similarly , other neighborhood churches became irrelevant . They resisted change for no other reason than to maintain the status quo . When younger members left the neighborhood church for a larger church , it was not always simply to go to a bigger place . These young families often moved to a more relevant congregation . They grew weary of the battles to resist change in the old neighborhood church . Today , many neighborhood churches are making a comeback . Some are stand-alone congregations . Others are campuses of a larger church . Their mission , however , is the same . They are in the community , of the community , and for the community .
Potentially , one of the more positive outcomes of the pandemic will be the accelerated comeback of neighborhood churches . We were already seeing signs of this turnaround before COVID-19 . Now , with the wisdom , insight , and inspiration gained during the quarantine , we are even more hopeful about the post-quarantine church . The comeback of the neighborhood church is
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