We have no exact numbers, but researchers estimate that between 70 and 85% of churches in the United States have plateaued or are declining. Only a quarter or less of churches experience any type of growth. Over the past twenty-five years, the median size of the typical evangelical church has fallen from near 120 to about 50 or 60 in attendance.

Those numbers make the future of Christianity in the United States seem dour. It’s easy to want to give up and give in, to enjoy our church while we have it, and then let it fade away once we’re gone. There are plenty of churches like that—churches that would rather stubbornly die than make any changes that might make a difference.

But some churches refuse to give up hope. These churches are what Thom Rainer labels scrappy churches. In the book of the same name, he writes, “[Scrappy] churches have leaders and members who refuse to give up. To the contrary, they have people in the congregation who truly believe the best days of the church are in the very near future” (pg. 9). These churches aren’t perfect. They’re not without their problems and frustrations for leaders and members alike. They are, however, hopeful churches. They are churches that believe God is still breathing life into dead bones (Ezekiel 37).

What is it that characterizes scrappy churches? Rainer notes three things: 1) They have a consistent evangelistic and outreach-oriented focus (what he terms the outward deluge); 2) they are welcoming to visitors; and 3) they close the backdoor.

Over the next several posts, we’ll dive deeper into these characteristics. The question I leave you with today, especially if you’re a part of the 70 to 85%: Will you give in to the depressing seeming-inevitability of the church’s death, or will you stand up and fight to be a scrappy church that faces the challenges and unknowns of the future with hope?