The Reformed Life

Some cancers grow slowly. Quietly.
They spread unnoticed—until it’s too late.

The same can happen in the church.

In part 1, we looked at ten attitudes that poison a church’s health and sabotage its growth, both spiritual and numerical. These mindsets often sound spiritual, but they are functionally faithless. And they must be rooted out if the church is to bear fruit for Christ.

In this post, we look at ten more.

Whether you’re in the pulpit or the pew, consider this not a list for someone else, but a mirror for your own heart and a scalpel for your church’s soul.

11. “The church exists to meet my needs.”

Self-centered spirituality

This mindset treats the church like a spiritual vending machine: “I came. I tithed. Now fill me.” But the church isn’t a cruise ship for the comfortable—it’s a battleship for the committed. The gospel calls us to deny ourselves, not demand more for ourselves. When the church becomes about me, it stops being the church.

12. “We need to keep the big givers happy.”

Fear of man over fear of God

It may be whispered in backrooms or felt in budget meetings, but when money starts guiding ministry, mission gets muzzled. Church leaders must steward resources wisely—but never let fear of a donor override obedience to Christ. If the rich run the church, it’s no longer ruled by Christ.

13. “We want revival—just not repentance.”

Hunger for experience without holiness

It’s one thing to sing for revival. It’s another to repent for it. True revival begins with broken hearts and humbled knees. Many churches long for the fruit of revival while rejecting the roots—confession, correction, and surrender. You can’t have Acts 2 power without Psalm 51 repentance.

14. “Let’s just focus on keeping everyone happy.”

Peacekeeping over peacemaking

This mindset sounds nice, but it’s deadly. Peacekeeping avoids conflict. Peacemaking pursues truth. When churches elevate comfort over conviction, they lose both peace and power. Unity without truth is a façade. A church that won’t confront sin can’t cultivate holiness.

15. “This is my ministry—don’t mess with it.”

Turf wars and ministry ownership

When volunteers or leaders begin to see ministries as personal property rather than kingdom assignments, territorialism sets in. Collaboration dies. Evaluation is off-limits. Growth is stifled. If it can’t be touched, it can’t be trusted.

16. “Young people just aren’t interested in church anymore.”

Fatalism toward the next generation

This mindset shrugs at decline instead of fighting it. It forgets that Jesus is still saving teenagers. Still calling the next generation. Still building His church. Churches that stop investing in young people will soon have no people. When we give up on the next generation, we give up on God’s plan.

17. “We don’t want to offend anyone.”

Softening truth for social acceptance

It’s one thing to be gracious. It’s another to gut the gospel. A church that refuses to offend may also refuse to obey. Jesus didn’t come to win popularity contests—He came to call sinners to repentance. A gospel that never offends will never save.

18. “As long as Sunday goes well, we’re good.”

Event-centered instead of people-centered

This mindset reduces the church to a performance. But the church is more than a weekly gathering—it’s a covenant community. A healthy church isn’t built around an event. It’s built around a people deeply committed to Christ and one another. If your church disappears on Monday, your Sunday didn’t matter.

19. “The problem is out there, not in here.”

Defensiveness over discernment

It’s easy to blame the culture. But churches must be willing to examine themselves first. Jesus didn’t rebuke Rome—He rebuked the Pharisees. A church that never repents won’t revive. And a church that only critiques won’t convert. Before we call the world to repent, we must go first.”

20. “We just need the right program.”

Technique over transformation

This mindset puts hope in systems instead of the Spirit. It trusts strategies more than sanctification. Programs are helpful, but they are not magic. Only the Word, prayer, and the Spirit of God can bring true revival. Don’t put so much stock on the trellis that you neglect the vine. 

Take the Warning. Make the Change.

These mindsets are more than ideas—they’re spiritual landmines.

Churches that ignore them eventually implode. Churches that confront them—in the Spirit, by the Word, through prayer—can thrive again. Maybe not in worldly metrics, but in faithfulness, fruitfulness, and gospel witness.

So ask yourself:

• Where have I bought into these lies?
• Where has our church culture absorbed toxic thinking?
• What must we confess, confront, or change?

Remember, the goal isn’t growth for growth’s sake—it’s faithfulness to Jesus.

And when we’re faithful to Him, He builds His church.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

Coming Soon: How to Cultivate a Culture of Health in Your Church

In the next post, we’ll move from diagnosis to prescription—laying out practical ways to build a healthy church culture grounded in biblical truth, gospel mission, and Spirit-filled power.

Don’t miss it. 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Josh Chambers

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