Church Death

Driving near my new home today, I saw (and stopped by) a church that had closed its doors and was selling the property.  The church sign read something like,"Churches come and go, God is Eternal. Good Bye, God Bless." 

What struck me was that this church was on a main road in a densely populated area of Norfolk.  There's no great reason why it should have closed.  I know I might be jumping to conclusions, but I couldn't help but strongly feel as though the congregation was trying to acquit themselves of guilt for letting a beautiful church, on a main road, DIE.  I was thinking, "what in the world happened here?  How could you possibly let this happen?"  

Churches do not just come and go.  Sure, sometimes they're conquered as they were in Turkey, or populations leave due to economic decline as they have in Detroit.  But in populated areas in the hearts of living cities, they do NOT just "come and go." They are started through much blood, sweat and tears, and they are preserved through hard work, lifelong repentance and death-to-self on the parts of the congregants and leadership.  If they go, and maybe this is harsh to say, it's because somebody surrendered, compromised or refused to change.

UPDATE: By strange circumstance, I met a man from this church when I stopped by it one day.  I asked him what happened, and this was his reply (paraphrased): "This whole area has changed a lot over the years.  My family has been at this church for 6 generations, and the neighborhood just couldn't support it anymore."  

I also watched some of their church services online: if it's not too harsh to say it, they were a white, 1950's style congregation, and they were in the midst of an African American community.  The neighborhood could have supported the church, but not their vision of church.  God forgive them, forgive us, and give us grace to not repeat such disasters.