The Demise of the Church Has Been Overstated

In 1897, Mark Twain is said to have read his own obituary, and then remarked, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Have you read the obituary of the church recently? With a level of confident opinion, it is heralded from blog articles, social media posts, and plenty of opinion pieces. They have good evidence of the death certificate, pointing to declining attendance numbers, social/cultural shifts, and flailing denominations. 

The proverbial sky is falling! Well, not really.

The truth is that every generation laments the state of the church. There are always a host of people ready to diagnosis what they view as the problem. Internet experts have a plethora of "evidence" that substantiates their claims of the death of the church in their generation. 

The only problem is that the church continues to move forward. The truth is that the universal, historic church of Jesus Christ has endured much more than the shifting cultural winds of North America. So while we navigate difficult days ahead, may we be reminded that the head of the church, Jesus, continues to lead His people.

The real question is for the critics. What are you doing? What kinds of things are you actively doing to make things better? Who has joined you in following Jesus? Who has experienced transformation from your invitation to encounter Jesus? In what ways are you a conduit of church health rather than a "chicken little" insisting that the sky is falling?

The body of Christ is alive and well. "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, [26] that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, [27] so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:25b-27)

So, could you please stop speaking about the bride of Christ as if she is a harlot?

Check out these other articles:

Why I Am Part of a Denomination

Signs of Spiritual Maturity

Why I Love the Church of the Nazarene

Dear Pastor...

10 Pitfalls for Local Churches

Here are a few common pitfalls of local churches in a downward trend away from fruitful ministry that glorifies God:

1. Focus on institutional survival. You need not preserve something already alive. Preservation is an embalming process. Many churches are embalming themselves, rather than seeking to fulfill the Great Commission. When our motivation lies primarily in institutional preservation or survival, we will forfeit the mission God has given us for the sake of the safety of the organization. Denominations, local churches, and even ministries can fall for this slow death.

2. Worshiping the Past. Churches consumed with their past to the neglect of their calling will soon fall into a pit! Our heritage, in most cases, is a great blessing for sure. Our past is to be a launching pad to the future and not an anchor to previous methods, decor, or styles. It is not our purpose to maintain a museum, but to be a mission outpost. Worshiping the past leads to a slow death.

3. Idolizing Fads. Chasing the next big thing has become the downfall for some churches that impacts the future more than the present. Fads can garner crowds, but crowds are fickle if they never find their way to the cross. No discernment necessary if "the next best thing" is what the church will embrace. The real danger is that no one needs to take time to seek direction from the Holy Spirit, just look at the fastest growing church's methodology.

4. Dead form. Beautifully scripted services with eloquent wording but little power have a feel of being spiritual, but area actually Ichabod. The "language of Canaan" without the "experience of Canaan" is still "bondage in Egypt." Some people love the expected routine of a preplanned year of services. I wonder if AI couldn't be a replacement for the leading of the Holy Spirit in some churches without anyone even noticing.

5. Pastor worship. While pastors and teachers in the church are worthy of a double honor, they should never be worshiped. It is natural for people to have an opinion about their spiritual leader (positive or negative). Paul even encouraged believers to imitate his faith. But he was quick to prevent people from worshiping him when God was working through him. It may feed the ego of the pastor, but it will not feed or spiritually nourish the flock to worship the pastor. Some pastors are better at getting people to follow them than they are getting people to follow Jesus.

6. Division. While unity is an abused term in the church today, it doesn't negate that true division is a pitfall for any church. Factions, people siding up behind other people, or people rallying behind their causes can be harmful to any local church body seeking to minister in their community and beyond. Disagreement among brothers and sisters in the church is good. If done with the Spirit's leading, it actually benefits the ministry of the church. But division is deep rooted disagreement without acknowledging that the individual is part of the whole and not autonomous.  

7. Coporate worship as irrelevant. The centrality of the body of Christ is corporate celebration, praise, and worship of the head of the church: Jesus. When our service to Jesus, ministries for Jesus, and organization for Jesus become more important than our worship of Jesus we will soon forget who we are supposed to be worshiping. It is then easier to shift our focus on any of the other issues in this list of pitfalls.

8. Personality rule. Praise God for those "larger than life" personalities that draw people and encourage crowds. Some are strong extroverts or maybe "A type" personalities. But sometimes these dominant personalities can harm if they do not take time to listen and be still. In leadership meetings they can "take over" and do all the speaking, airing the opinion without an opportunity for others to contribute. They can be forceful with some, bulldozing over the preferences, insights, and even giftings of quieter folks. The devil delights in taking a gift and using it to harm. 

9. Lack of Faith. Many churches are already in or heading toward a pitfall because they are afraid of the future or the rapidly changing world around them. Fearful to move forward because of inability, rocking the board, requiring sacrifice, or unfamiliarity paralyzes the forward movement toward missional fruitfulness. Leadership is in danger when it is quick to identify all of the limitations, but rarely highlights the possibilities around them. 

10. Money Focused. Of course funding is helpful for the work of the kingdom, but love of money is the root of all kinds of evil... even for the body of Christ. While there are "business aspects" to the church (like bills being paid, pastoral support, maintenance or rental of the facilities, etc) it is primarily a spiritual people empowered and called by God. Money is a tool, but it becomes a pitfall when it is the driving force behind every decision and priority in the local church. 

What might you add as a danger to the local church?

Check out these other articles:

Why I Still Have Sunday Nights Service

How to Make Your Church a Great One

Why I Don't Play the Lottery