6 ways churches can rebuild trust, restore credibility, and reconnect with their communities in a skeptical world.

Across the globe, public trust is in crisis. Governments, media, businesses, and civic institutions are all feeling the strain—and the Church isn’t immune. At FiveTwo, we walk alongside pastors and church leaders who know this firsthand. They’ve inherited congregations once brimming with influence and activity… but now marked by skepticism, dwindling attendance, and fractured relationships.

Kristin M. Lord’s insightful article on repairing social trust lays out six ways churches can rebuild trust and heal the gap. While written for a global civic audience, the parallels for churches are striking—and timely.

1. Rebuilding Trust: Do What You Say You’ll Do—And Do It Well

Lord calls this “trust by performance.” In the church, that means being faithful to our mission—not just in doctrine, but in execution. If your church says it exists to love the community, does it show up when families are hurting? If you claim to welcome all, does that include the neighbor who doesn’t look, vote, or live like you?

Churches that regain trust aren’t flashy; they’re consistent. Trust is rebuilt one fulfilled promise at a time.

2. Rebuilding Trust: Develop Future-Focused Leaders

FiveTwo’s core passion is equipping churches to grow by rediscovering their entrepreneurial spirit. But that requires leaders who aren’t clinging to past glory or institutional power. It requires courage.

Churches need leaders—clergy and laity—who are willing to take calculated risks, invite collaboration, and give ministry away to emerging leaders. Like Lord says, the key to the future isn’t reforming the entrenched—it’s raising up the next generation.

3. Rebuilding Trust: Be Transparent, Not Polished

In today’s skeptical world, people aren’t looking for perfect pastors or flawless programs. They’re looking for real ones. Transparency builds trust. That means owning your church’s story—including the hard chapters.

When leaders are honest about financial realities, leadership transitions, or the hard conversations ahead, people lean in. When we hide the mess, they walk away.

4. Rebuilding Trust: Invite People Into the Process

Lord notes that trust grows when people feel included in solutions. That’s just as true in congregational life. Too many churches try to “fix things” behind closed doors. But the most powerful breakthroughs happen when the community is part of reimagining the future.

At FiveTwo, we help churches craft gameplans with their people, not for them. Because buy-in isn’t a product of great strategy—it’s the fruit of shared ownership.

5. Rebuilding Trust: Address the Wounds of Exclusion

Many churches carry invisible barriers—historical pain, insider language, unspoken expectations—that keep outsiders at arm’s length. In the same way Lord advocates for social inclusion in civil society, we believe churches must repent of exclusion and create onramps for people from all walks of life.

Trust starts with a seat at the table. Who’s not at yours right now?

6. Rebuilding Trust: Get Serious

Kristin Lord ends her article with a simple truth: trust won’t rebuild itself. It takes real commitment.

For churches, that means moving beyond survival mode. It means doing the hard, hopeful work of listening, clarifying mission, healing past wounds, and stepping courageously into the future God has for them.

At FiveTwo, we believe the Church still matters. But we also believe trust is the new currency. Without it, the mission stalls. With it, communities flourish.

So here’s the challenge: What’s one step your church can take this month to rebuild trust—with your people, with your neighborhood, and with the God who calls you forward?

Our Strategic Growth Process is designed to help churches clarify their vision, align their leaders, and create a path forward that builds trust with both the congregation and the community.

If you’re ready to turn these principles into action and rebuild trust in your church, we’re here to walk alongside you. 

Let’s talk about how your church can rebuilt trust. Schedule a free discovery call with us today, and together, we’ll create a roadmap for growth that leads to a trusted, thriving congregation.