|
|
Whats Wrong With the Church
by Rev. Doug McClain
In my ministry I have worked with a number of Churches and have found
that many of our local Churches face the same problem; they are in a steady
decline. Attendance is down, finances are down, the number of first
time visitors is declining, and the membership is literally "dying
off."
So, what's the problem? What's wrong with the Church? In trying to "fix it", many point at
the music, the activities, traditions, and so on. This has created yet another problem within the body, disunity and
tension among the membership. It seems that the young people in America have
all but abandoned the local Church. Many Churches have fewer and fewer families with young children attending.
It seems that they have found other interests to pursue and their spiritual life takes a back seat to the need to entertain
themselves. In response to this, some Churches have opted to try and make their Church services "more entertaining"
and yet, they are seeing only minimal results.
I am old enough to remember when it
was "normal" to get up and go to Church on Sunday. Most people did. In the sixties and seventies our
Churches swelled, due at least in part, to the great wave of Spiritual Renewal that took place in the fifties. We built
sanctuaries that would seat 800 or more and found them nearly filled on a regular basis. Pastors were raised to near celebrity
status and many of the Church programs were begun during this era. People were being saved and baptized and evangelism was
almost effortless. I believe that we really thought that it would last until Jesus returned, no matter what we did.
And I personally believe that is where the problem began. We took things for granted and we started doing less and less.
Our attention focused away from reaching the lost and sharing the Gospel and was placed on attendance numbers, budgets,
programs, and maintaining the status quo.
What has been the result? Many local Churches
today, regardless of denomiation, find themselves trying to maintain rather than reaching out. We like to get together and
talk about the "good old days" and pat ourselves on the back. We want so desperately for the old programs that
were started in the sixties and seventies to work again. We spend a lot of time and resources attempting to pump new life
into them and find it frustrating when they continue to falter. We now find it hard to maintain a building designed to
seat 800 or more with the 150 or less who attend faithfully. We seem to be in a downward spiral that rivals the upward
momentum that we experienced in the sixties and seventies. We are very concerned as the faithful senior citizens begin
to take their place in the cemeteries with no one to take their place in the pews. We wonder, will it ever end?
Is the Church going to fail? I belive that depends on the particular Church. The "Church" will continue
until the Lord returns, yet many "Churches" may indeed close their doors.
Why? Because of their inability or unwillingness
to follow Christ. We tend to think of the Church as an Organization.
That is why it is so filled with power struggles and politics. Christ
sees it as a supernatural living organism through which He can work.
There was an established "religious organization" when He came
to the earth. It too was founded on tradition and struggled to keep
its laws and programs moving forward. It too had religious leaders
who were desperately trying to hold on to their positions of authority.
Jesus didn't have very many kind words for this organization or those
who were leading it. If you read the Letters to the Churches found
in the Book of Revelation you will find that He still doesn't approve
of this type of religious organization.
Christ came teaching and reaching out to the common man. He used parables with which the
common people could relate. His focus was on seeking and saving that which was lost. He wasn't interested in
making a name for Himself, yet, He has the Name above all Names. He ate with sinners, which flew in the face of the
"organized religion" of the day. He touched sick people. He healed, and even ate, on the Sabbath.
He declared a New Day and a New Way! He was indeed radical.
So, what
do I see as the Number One problem with the Church today? We no longer do this.We have become a "closed society
only for those with which we want to allow inside. Many Churches have difficulty holding on to new members because they may
not fit "the mold" of that particular Church. Even though they are saved, baptised, and were given the
;right hand of felloswhip", they are never completely accepted into the Church fellowship. They become strangers in
a strange land. Soon, they are gone and no one really knows what happened to them.
Many Churches have
become so closed that the members have very little contact with anyone outside of the Church itself. Yes, they work with
people not affiliated with their particular Church, even lost people. But their friends, those with whom they spend their
time, are all inside the particular Church where they attend. And sometimes, within a smaller group within that particular
Church. They take trips together, plan fellowships together, celebrate holidays together, visit
one another, and find that there time is filled and there is no room for anyone else in their life. I believe that
this pattern of behavior is the number one reason our Churches, regardless of denomination, worship style, or |
