From Adria Gulizia’s series on dying meet­ings:

Final­ly, we might see dying meet­ings dis­in­vest from their First Day School pro­grams, as the needs of par­ents and chil­dren are tac­it­ly acknowl­edged to be in com­pe­ti­tion with those of set­tled old­er adults. Those with pow­er and longevi­ty in the com­mu­ni­ty ensure that their needs keep get­ting met, while increas­ing­ly neglect­ing those they are called to serve — chil­dren, those new to our faith, peo­ple in prison, peo­ple with dis­abil­i­ties and peo­ple who are strug­gling financially.

Friends instead spend their dwin­dling resources on inter­nal pri­or­i­ties and the expens­es asso­ci­at­ed with keep­ing a meet­ing­house well-warmed, well-lit and well cared-for — even if there’s nobody in it.

When doing out­reach, you have to focus less about the peo­ple in the meet­ing­house and more on the peo­ple who would be join­ing if they knew we exist­ed and were wel­comed in. So too, I think, for our pri­or­i­ties in a shrink­ing meet­ing. It’s easy to turn inward and just keep the status-quo rolling. I see meet­ings in well-populated areas that are shrink­ing and not doing what they need to do to be more vis­i­ble in their local community.

Turn­ing Our Resources Inward 

Dying church­es use their resources for their own com­fort, rather than to serve others.

In the Shad­ow of Babylon