Yesterday I was sent a link to look at a blog titled: "Why Are Churches of Christ Shrinking?" I was asked to give my thoughts on the article. Sometimes things like this are of little value because there will always be a debate about which is right and wrong. Saying that, I will say little but give a brief thought from my view because I was asked.
In the article it concludes by giving what needs to be done differently in order to reach people. Basically the writer of this blog tells people that we need to be more consumer friendly. Use videos, a three projection screen, dim the lights, use testimonials, making preaching/teaching applicable and culturally relevant, use music before worship, engage body, soul mind in worship, and emphasize community. These were the conclusions on how to start the path to growth. There are several more parts to the series that I did not read but let me make one observance both from what I read and through my many travels and speaking engagements.
Too much of the conclusion sounds like becoming "world" friendly to me. That's just my thinking. I'm not trying to tear down the writer, please understand that. To become more like the standard of those around is not the way to go about things. The Lord speaks that we are to be converted to Him which means there must be a change in heart and mind. The Lord calls everyone to repentance which points to a changed heart and mind of people. We are not a people with a few minor flaws. We are sinful, steeped in our lusts. The Lord is calling us into fellowship with Him and trying to get us to drop our lusts. That's why when one is immersed into Christ Jesus, not only are their sins washed away but they are to put on a new self, "which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Eph. 4:24) A new self. That's what everyone needs and only in Christ can that come about. It's not about catering to the lost around, no matter what kind of experience the younger are looking for. The Lord calls us to change by the power of God and not some cultural calling or change. If anyone is going to be saved, it will be by being transformed and not conforming (Rom. 12:2). This is why growth is stopping. The message is no longer being preached or many don't know what message to preach so that makes us gear to being consumer friendly. Paul went into a Gentile world steeped in all sorts of worship experiences and idols but he had a message and didn't adjust to them but called man adjusts to God if they were to be saved.
There is another side to this. You have those who that all they want to do is keep preaching/teaching the same old stuff that could not and did not create faith in the Lord. It was called defending the faith when all it was doing was making people dull in hearing. The legalistic side of working your way to the Lord and a relationship with Him. The legalistic side of music and why we are right and everyone else is wrong. This too is just as bad and is killing the Lord's church is many areas.
Here is a great example of what I am saying. A preacher came and asked me how we continue to grow and what I preach after being in a place so long. I said Jesus and Him crucified. There's the power! He said he would start doing that. About 3 months later, he came back to me and said he had exhausted all the lessons on Jesus and Him crucified. Right there told me that he had no clue what that means. The word from beginning to end is about Jesus and Him crucified. I haven't stopped preaching the cross for the 21 years I have been here!
My take, for whatever it is worth. We have lost sight of the Lord Jesus Christ! We have no message for the lost. We have no confronting our sins and sinfulness. Our preaching/teaching are not about creating faith, but stories and things that cannot help. We spout psychology, encourage to think like the world in what we embrace and believe. When I opened God's word this morning, it still said the gospel is God's power to save everyone who believes it! (Rom. 1:16) It was Paul who spoke to the church at Corinth that had wandered away that he wanted to know nothing, nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified (I Cor. 2:2). If the gospel is God's power to save, and we are shrinking, maybe we have moved from His powerful message?
2 comments:
Agreed. We too have found in our travels that sadly, many congregations have stopped preaching the word. It seems that you get either "fluff" with some of God's word sprinkled in or you get endless lessons on instrumental music, hand raising, etc. And, as you said, there is little or no faith in the Lord created.
I like how someone (I think it was you, Brent) said it one time-- that the role of a preacher is to take the hand of the listener and put it in the hand of God so that He can build faith through His word. If we don't get back to proclaiming the powerful message, we will continue to shrink numerically and spiritually. Thanks for your thoughts and for faithfully preaching the word.
What a great post! Have we missed the message? Have we gotten so caught up in controversies and hot topics that we have forgotten a lost world without a saving gospel? Why is the church so weak? We lack faith in the central message of Jesus Christ and His gospel! We need to be converted. Thanks Brent.
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