As I read the introduction of Jim Cymbala’s new book in preparation for our interview, I was startled by the most recent statistics concerning church attendance in America.
According to a recent Gallup poll, this is the first time since the 1930s that the number of Americans who describe themselves as affiliated with a church, synagogue or mosque has fallen below 50%. Church attendance is even lower, as another recent survey showed that only about a third of Americans attended services every week or almost every week in 2020, and more than 50% said they “seldom” or “never” did.
The issue is even more troubling among pastors and church leaders, and it presented the reason Pastor Cymbala felt led to write “Fan the Flame – Let Jesus Renew Your Calling and Revive Your Church.”
Cymbala has been a pastor for over 50 years at the renowned Brooklyn Tabernacle, where he started the church with only 20 members, which has grown to thousands attending services and prayer meetings each week. The church is known worldwide for the Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Tabernacle choir, led by Cymbala’s wife, Carol.
As the pandemic started, the Cymbalas were stranded in Florida, where they had traveled for a short vacation and could not go back to New York for a year. While in Florida, Cymbala began reaching out to local pastors to support them in their growing discouragement. Churches were in lockdown. Their finances were running dry. In a world filled with social and political turmoil, many pastors were treated with contempt as they preached to a highly polarized flock.
A recent survey from the Barna Group highlighted the discouragement that Cymbala encountered coming from church leaders from various denominations. The survey revealed that about 1,500 pastors leave the ministry every month nowadays. And worse yet, more than half of the pastors polled said they would leave the ministry if they could find another way to support their families.
The eye-opening, disheartening data reveals the truth about a problem anyone involved in ministry faces at some point. It is discouraging when one follows their calling and spends years working with little to no fruit or when strong opposition strikes. As Cymbala writes: “Even if a leader has been truly called, the lack of spiritual fruit leads to hidden frustration and discouragement. There comes a time when (the leader) can’t hide it anymore. (…)”
Cymbala’s first advice to struggling pastors and ministry leaders is to “go back to that moment and reconsecrate yourself to that sacred, high calling, no matter what may follow.”
Flame the Fire is undoubtedly a book for such a time as this. With the life and ministry of the apostle Paul as the backdrop at the beginning of Christianity in the Roman Empire of the first century, the book offers essential principles and lessons from a time when antagonism against Christianity was rampant and life-threatening to church leaders and Christ-followers alike.
The post-pandemic church may seem to be in trouble. From people choosing not to go back to attending in person to thousands of ministers giving up on their calling, the issue may render us concerned about the church’s future and its leaders. But any concern should only prompt pastors, leaders, and their flock to seek God more passionately than ever.
May we intentionally lift our voices to pray for our religious leaders, asking the one who called them to reignite the flame that once set them on the course to fulfill their destiny.
And as our hearts threaten to feel troubled for the future of the church, may we be reminded of this eternal truth, declared by the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament:
“The Lord of Hosts has sworn: ‘Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand.’”
Find out more about Cymbala’s ministry and Fan the Flame at www.brooklyntabernacle.org. Listen to Patricia’s interview with Jim Cymbala on the God-Sized Stories with Patricia Holbrook podcast.
Patricia Holbrook is a columnist, author, blogger, podcaster and international speaker. Visit her website www.soaringwithHim.com. Subscribe to her podcast and YouTube channel for all interviews. For speaking engagements and comments, email pholbrook@soaringwithhim.com
