According to Christianity Today, 85% of American congregations are stagnant or declining. Most churches say that evangelism is a top three priority (80%) but few (1% to 3%) actually have any regular ongoing evangelism taking place. Not only does the shocking lack of harvest impact the Kingdom of God and Christ’s commands in Matt 28: 19,20 to “reach, baptize and teach to lost,” this shortage of converts has a negative impact on our ability to make disciples.
Just like the stagnant pond in nature, if our congregation does not produce at least a trickle of new converts and disciples coming into the church, we will see little if any spiritual health of those who are already inside the Body of Christ. We will experience passive members, lots of Biblical illiteracy, a shortage of prayer, people who do not know their spiritual gift and are not seeking a place of ministry or service. Our marriages and families will be as weak as those without God, our kids will demonstrate secular morals and behavior, and few teens will come into an adult faith.
There is a direct connection between a healthy harvest and a healthy church.