5 Spiritual Reasons Churches Get Stuck (and How to Get Back in Alignment)
When “What Got You Here” Stops Working
You don’t need another person telling you to “just pray more” or “just change your strategy.”
You’re already praying.
You’re already trying things.
Yet…
Sundays feel heavier than they should.
Giving is flat or slipping.
Your best people are tired, not energized.
And deep down, you’re wondering, “Is something spiritually off… or am I just bad at this?”
Scripture is clear:
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it.” (Ps 127:1)
Systems matter. Stewardship matters. But if there’s spiritual misalignment, kingdom momentum stalls—no matter how good your plan is.
This post is about that deeper layer:
Five spiritual reasons churches get stuck—and what you can actually do about it.
The Real Reason Your Church Might Be Stuck (It’s Not Just Strategy)
I use the phrase “kingdom momentum” a lot.
Kingdom momentum is what you feel when:
The wind of God is at your back.
What used to be hard becomes normal.
Obedience and fruit are connected in a way you can’t fake.
But that kind of momentum is almost always preceded by alignment:
Alignment with God’s will and Word.
Alignment in your leadership core.
Alignment in what you tolerate in the house.
Proverbs 14:12 warns us:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
A church can “seem” right—busy, active, even loud—
and still be spiritually out of alignment.
Let’s talk about five of the big places that misalignment shows up.
5 Spiritual Reasons Churches Get Stuck
1. Non-Confrontational Leadership
Text: 1 Samuel 2–3 (Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas)
Eli was God’s chosen priest. His sons had his title, but not his character.
They:
Mishandled holy things
Abused people
Treated God’s house casually
And when Eli finally knew what was going on… he still refused to decisively confront it.
That’s where a lot of pastors get stuck.
You see:
Disrespect toward the vision or visionary
Disorder in meetings, teams, or worship
Disobedience to Scripture from people in visible roles
…but you hope it “works itself out.”
Here’s the hard truth:
The church cannot move forward when the leader refuses to confront what God has already condemned.
If you leave dysfunctional leaders in place:
What you allow becomes culture.
Culture spreads faster than any sermon.
And eventually the whole house carries consequences for what a few people started.
Quick reflection:
Is there anyone in leadership you’d remove today if you weren’t afraid of the fallout?
Are disrespect, disorder, or disobedience going unchecked because you’re tired of hard conversations?
Simple next step:
Write down one conversation you’ve been avoiding.
Schedule it this week. Go in with clarity, honor, and courage.
2. Secret Sin in the House
Text: Joshua 7 (Achan and Israel’s defeat at Ai)
Israel wins at Jericho. God gives them specific instructions:
Don’t keep what belongs to Him.
Achan disobeys in secret. He hides what God said to surrender.
But when God speaks, He doesn’t say, “Achan has sinned.”
He says, “Israel has sinned.”
One man’s secret rebellion created national defeat.
That’s how God sees His church:
One body.
One family.
One army.
Secret sin in key people can poison public success.
We’re not talking about human weakness or honest struggle being confessed and discipled.
We’re talking about hidden, ongoing rebellion in people we continue to platform.
Things like:
Private addictions
Quiet bitterness toward leadership
Jealousy of other leaders or churches
Double lives that are never confronted
When that’s ignored:
The atmosphere gets heavy.
Victories feel harder than they should.
God’s blessing seems to “hit a ceiling.”
Simple next step:
Start asking your core leaders about their soul, not just their role.
Give them safe, accountable spaces to confess and be restored.
Be willing to pull someone back from platform to protect them and the house.
What’s hidden in the house can hinder the house.
3. Prideful Leadership Decisions
Text: 2 Samuel 24 (David’s census)
David orders a census—not just to “count” the people, but to count on the people.
Instead of trusting God, he looks for security in numbers:
“How many soldiers do we have?”
“How big is the army?”
“How strong do we look on paper?”
We do the same thing today.
Modern versions of prideful decisions:
Comparing your ministry to the church down the street
Measuring your worth by attendance or followers
Preaching for applause, not obedience
Chasing “big days” with no heart for long-term discipleship
Pride always has a price tag:
It makes you chase image over integrity.
It wears you out trying to impress people.
And eventually, God resists it—even if the plan looks smart.
Simple next step:
Ask yourself:
“If no one ever posted our numbers again, what would I change about how we lead?”
Then make one decision this month that clearly prioritizes obedience over optics.
4. Compromised Convictions
Text: Galatians 2:11–14 (Paul confronts Peter)
Peter knows the gospel.
He’s been freed from the old law and is eating freely with Gentile believers.
Then some influential Jewish leaders show up.
Peter:
Pulls back from the Gentiles
Changes his behavior to keep certain people happy
Creates confusion about what the gospel really is
Paul calls it what it is: hypocrisy.
When leaders compromise, culture collapses.
We’re living in a time where it is increasingly controversial to:
Call sin “sin”
Honor the sanctity of life
Teach a biblical view of sexuality and gender
Care for the poor, the incarcerated, the immigrant, the vulnerable, the way Jesus commands
People absolutely have the freedom to choose how they live.
But pastors do not have the freedom to rewrite Scripture so people feel better about those choices.
Any “peace” that requires you to bend the truth isn’t real peace.
Simple next step:
Identify one area where you’ve softened your voice because you’re afraid of criticism:
A doctrine
A social issue
A discipleship standard
Bring it back into the light—first with your leaders, then with your people—with grace and clarity.
5. Misaligned Motives in Leadership
Text: John 12:3–8 (Mary’s worship and Judas’s reaction)
Mary pours expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet in pure worship.
Judas complains:
“That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and given to the poor.”
Scripture exposes his real motive:
He didn’t care about the poor. He was stealing from the money bag.
He was close to Jesus, but far from His heart.
You see this in church all the time:
Leaders who love microphones but avoid the secret place
People who want the title, not the towel
Finance voices who love saving money but resist spending it on actual ministry
Volunteers serving for platform, not purpose
Misaligned motives create spiritual drag.
You can feel it:
Every decision is harder.
Every step forward feels like a fight.
New people show up… then get hurt by the very people you won’t correct.
Simple next step:
Look at your inner circle and ask:
“Who’s here for the mission?”
“Who’s here for position?”
Then:
Affirm the ones with the right heart.
Redirect (or reassign) the ones who are clearly building their own thing instead of the church.
Alignment Before Advancement: This Is Where Systems Come In
Here’s the big takeaway from the whole episode:
Alignment precedes advancement. Systems guard what alignment produces.
Spiritual alignment is first.
But once God brings your house into alignment, you need simple systems to keep it that way.
Think about three core systems:
Guest Follow-Up
Every new person gets loved, followed up with, and invited to take a clear next step—every time.
Assimilation
A simple, repeatable path from “visitor” → “family” → “serving on a team.”
Weekly Communications
One clear, consistent voice going out every week (email, text, socials) so people aren’t guessing what’s happening.
When those systems are in place, you’re not re-fighting the same battles every January.
Instead of reliving the same year 10 times, you can actually live 10 years of compounding growth.
This is exactly what we help pastors build inside Church Systems in a Box and our Church Growth Accelerator.
Your Next Step: Start a 90-Day Alignment & Systems Sprint
If you’re reading this and thinking, “That’s us. We’re stuck—and I can see at least one of those five on our leadership team,” here’s the path I’d recommend:
Name the misalignment.
Don’t generalize it. Call it what it is.
Repent and realign.
As a pastor, that starts with you and your core leaders.
Install simple systems that protect your progress.
Don’t rely on hype and willpower. Build repeatable processes.
If you want help with that, here’s how we can walk with you:
Free training: Learn the big picture of how healthy churches use simple systems to protect alignment and growth.
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Church Growth Accelerator – 90 days, $7,500.
Work with us in a focused sprint to align vision, build your systems, and launch them with a Go-Live plan your team can actually follow.
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