Facing Closure with Faith, Hope, and Purpose - a Conversation with Stephen Gray

In this episode of The Last Service Podcast, I spoke with Stephen Gray, author of the book "Legacy Churches," about the difficult but necessary conversations many congregations face when decline leads them to consider closure.

Gray brings over 35 years of ministry experience, much of it focused on church planting and consulting with struggling churches. Out of his desire to help congregations "close well," he wrote Legacy Churches as a practical guide for pastoral leaders and laypeople walking through this journey.

A few key insights from our conversation:

• On average, around 4,000 churches close each year in the U.S. The COVID pandemic accelerated this trend, with estimates closer to 5,500 annual closures today. Many struggling churches fight desperately to stay open, fearful that closing reflects failure. But Gray argues closure is not failure, but part of the natural lifecycle of any organization.
• Congregations considering closure often propose solutions like bringing in a "superstar" pastor, building new facilities or merging with another church. But Gray explains why these simple fixes rarely reverse decline. The problem lies deeper.
• When is it time to close? Gray offers guideposts like running below 30 attendees, inability to compensate clergy, only paying to keep the lights on and seeing no conversions in years. But discerning closure requires spiritual discernment, not just crunching the numbers.
• Closing well, with vision and courage, allows a congregation to leave a lasting legacy. Gray offers principles for grieving, celebrating history and passing the baton to new Kingdom work.

This conversation explores the emotional complexities of church closure with honesty and wisdom. I'm thankful for Gray's perspective and experience on this critical topic.

If you found this insightful, be sure to check out the full conversation, as well as Gray's fantastic book "Legacy Churches."