The American church is suffering from a serious internal drought that is being ignored …

For at least a couple of decades, the church in America has been suffering from a serious drought of capable and competent Bible teachers within local churches, resulting in many churches having a single person capable of teaching scripture: the pastor.

The church has suffered greatly because of this drought.

I’ve personally watched this drought of Bible teachers spread over the years. I specifically remember one pastor tell me there was no one qualified to teach a Bible study in the church he was shepherding. So, for small groups, he said he focused on recruiting someone who was willing to host a group in their home, and then he would supply them with Bible study videos to use in place of any actual teaching. He literally said instead of recruiting Bible teachers to lead a small group, he instead searched for someone just competent enough put a video into a machine and press “play,” and then afterward ask, “What did that lesson mean to you?”

It isn’t just that there is a drought of persons among church members who are unable to teach the Bible, that drought also extends to an increasing number of elders and other church leaders. Recently I was speaking with an elder of a church struggling with several issues — a lack of Bible teachers being one of them – and he directly said about himself, “I’m not a teaching elder.” None of the elders at that church were, even though the Bible specifically lists being able to teach as one of the qualifications for church leaders:

“This is a trustworthy saying: ‘If someone aspires to be a church leader, he desires an honorable position.’ So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach,” 1 Timothy 3:1-2.

That church is not untypical regarding its dearth of members and leaders being spiritually mature enough to teach.

Part of the problem with this issue is that one man serving as pastor cannot adequately handle all of the teaching needs of a congregation. That’s why Paul, in the twilight of his ministry, encouraged Timothy with this instruction: “Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others,” 2 Timothy 2:1-2.

That has not happened in many (likely most) churches, and that drought of teaching has directly contributed to the current state of the church in America today which looks like this:

• • An array of studies and research identify most Christians as being biblically illiterate.
  • It gets worse: studies reveal that only six percent of self-identified Christians have a biblical worldview, only 37 percent of pastors have a biblical worldview, and tragically only 13 percent of ministers who serve as “teaching pastors” have a biblical worldview.
  • It is not a surprise then that syncretism — the blending of different religious, cultural, or philosophical beliefs into a single system — is currently the number one belief system in America.

This is such a tragic state for the church, and yet almost no one is talking or doing anything about it.

So, HOW did we get to such a drought-ridden state? Here are some key contributing reasons:

The de-valuation of leadership qualifications: Churches have functionally deleted “able to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2) from their leadership requirements. They now prioritize other things like business acumen, financial contribution, or social standing. This creates a leadership tier that is biblically silent because they were never required to demonstrate any ability to teach or explain the Scriptures to be appointed to the position.

The cycle of biblical illiteracy in the pulpit: The drought of Bible teachers is now self-perpetuating because many pastors and ministry leaders themselves lack adequate discipleship for themselves and lack a comprehensive biblical worldview. You cannot give what you do not have. When the person in the pulpit is biblically illiterate or has traded a scriptural worldview for cultural syncretism, they are incapable of identifying, training, or qualifying new teachers.

The “mentoring” vs. “discipling” deviation: Ministers have been trained to prioritize and focus on “mentoring” — NOT discipling, but mentoring — “new leaders,” teaching them how to run a meeting, manage a budget, or oversee a program rather than “discipling” them into spiritual maturity. Mentoring fills a slot; discipleship builds a teacher. The irony is that, if they would have focused on discipling church members, then new “leaders” would have naturally risen up because of the spiritual maturing that resulted. Instead, we have leaders who have been mentored to tasks, but are woefully spiritually immature – certainly unqualified to teach.

The abandonment of pastoral teaching: Because pastors are taught to be “visionary leaders” or “CEOs,” they view their time as too valuable for the “slow work” of deep, one-on-one or small-group doctrinal discipleship. They delegate the “teaching” to machines (videos) or websites like RightNow Media instead of personally investing in the spiritual maturity of others so that they, too, can handle the Word.

The dependency loop: By not discipling members to maturity, pastors unintentionally create a permanent “infant” class in the pews. These members become consumers who depend entirely on the pastor for “food,” making it impossible for new teachers to rise from within because they never “grow up” enough to eat – let alone cook – for themselves.

The professionalization barrier: There is a pervasive, unbiblical belief that “only the guy with the degree can teach.” Pastors have failed to break this stigma by proving that any mature, well-discipled believer should be able to handle the Word.

Cultural accommodation and the entertainment trap: Many churches have traded substantive, rigorous Bible instruction for high-production entertainment, social programs, and emotional “experiences” designed to attract the largest possible crowd. This prioritizes “felt needs” over biblical truth, conditioning a congregation to be passive spectators who never develop the cognitive or spiritual muscle required to study, let alone teach, the Scriptures.

Societal secularization and external pressures: Beyond the church walls, society increasingly normalizes secularism, relativism, and blended beliefs. Without a strong internal culture of discipleship, members and leaders are shaped by these external forces, which erode biblical literacy and make it far harder for the church to raise spiritually mature teachers.

The failure of intentional discipleship pipelines: There is a catastrophic lack of structured, progressive pathways within the church to move a believer from basic faith to deep spiritual maturity. Without an intentional system to ground members in doctrine and hermeneutics beyond simple “leadership mentoring,” spiritual growth is left entirely to chance. This systemic neglect ensures the well of potential teachers remains dry.

So, how do we fix this?

If the church is going to begin digging itself out of this drought, it must start with the leaders. We cannot expect church members to spiritually mature or produce new teachers if the leaders themselves are spiritually immature. Churches must stop ordaining or electing leaders who are not spiritually mature and who do not meet the biblical qualifications for church office. Leadership is not a matter of social standing, business savvy, or popularity; it is a matter of faithfulness, character, and the ability to handle the Word of God. Without this, nothing else will take root.

At the same time, pastors themselves must pay a price. They must turn their attention to discipling a core of believers who are already more mature, who can be faithfully taught to understand Scripture deeply and to apply it wisely. These are the ones who will eventually be able to help disciple others, creating the multiplying effect Paul modeled for Timothy. This is slow, painstaking work — it cannot be outsourced to videos or pre-packaged curricula. It requires personal investment, patience, and intentionality. But without it, the cycle of immaturity continues, and the drought of teachers remains unbroken.

Beyond leadership and discipleship, the church must restore the priority of teaching to its rightful role of guiding and equipping the congregation. Pastors and leaders must model how to interpret Scripture, how to pray, and how to apply God’s Word. They must see teaching not as some heavy administrative task, but as the very means of making mature disciples. The aim is not simply attendance or activity, but transformation: believers growing into mature disciples, capable of feeding others spiritually.

Equally important is rebuilding the culture of the church itself. Entertainment and social programs can draw crowds, but they cannot produce mature Christians or competent Bible teachers. The church must once again prioritize Scripture, prayer, and doctrinal understanding over spectacle, ensuring that members are trained to engage, question, and apply the Word for themselves.

Finally, the work cannot be left to chance. Churches must develop intentional pathways for spiritual growth, moving members from foundational faith to advanced understanding, and eventually to readiness to teach. These pathways should be relational, rigorous, and replicable. Every member should have the opportunity — and the expectation — to grow in maturity and to disciple others. In doing so, the church can finally break the cycle of dependence on a single pastor and cultivate a body capable of handling the Word and multiplying faithful teachers.

Scotty