I found one of those ‘funny church’ signs the other day and used it for a post in the church facebook page. The sign made a very important point and one that I wanted to discuss further in this blog. We have become so concerned and centred, I think, on numbers and wrestling with the apparent decline in the numbers attending church!! Mind you if you go by statistics and you know what they say about those, according to a recent poll in England there are more people going to church on a Sunday than are attending football matches…Maybe that’s only because tickets have got too expensive for the ordinary man???? No I am only joking!!!!!
Last week I’ve picked up more than a few articles on this subject, one of those was a blog by Rachel Evans on CNN Belief Blog entitled ‘Why millennials are leaving Church’? I didn’t even know who or what ‘millennials’ were or are? I discovered it’s the term that encompasses the generation that is growing up now! I.E. The next generation that we must reach for the church to continue???? I’m not answering the questions raised in Rachel’s blog that was done brilliantly by another; http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2013/08/01/why-millennials-are-leaving-the-church-a-response-to-rachel-held-evans/
Another blog report I read was a response to an editorial that appeared recently in The Independent Newspaper in London. It was throwing a punch at the Archbishop of Canterbury and his involvement in politics. That resulted from Justin Welby’s position in the House of Lords where he was questioning the Governments policy on poverty and welfare. The response I read was from Nick Baines ‘The musings of a restless Bishop’ blog; http://nickbaines.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/religion-and-politics/ It to is worth a read.
The point I found in both these articles was that there are people who will NEVER come to church. They will find a reason that is if they need to, not to come and the general public opinion regarding church is negative and it will take every opportunity to take a swipe at it? Well what’s new???
If I go back to where I started and that church sign at the top. We have become so preoccupied at attracting people in that we have, I believe, lost our way and lost our integrity on the way? I understand completely the necessity to maintain a grip on communicating in a modern era but some of the things that have been tried, adopted or considered verge on the ridiculous. Do we believe that when God set out the paradigm for reaching the world with the Gospel as He did in His Word, that He was not aware of the technological era that would be the 21st Century or that the citizens of this century would be so erudite that we need to espouse a more scholarly approach? REALLY?
My mind is clear on this, I believe the Scriptures when they say, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?.... So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:14+17 therefore “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” Romans 1:16
The need of the day is for the Church to stand firm and preach the Word of God and I mean the whole Word..One more article of interest to this debate was one posted today entitled. ‘I wonder if Sunday School is destroying our kids’? http://beliefsoftheheart.com/2013/07/23/i-wonder-if-sunday-school-is-destroying-our-kids-2/
Highlighted in that is the way in which we portray bible Characters in their Heroic garb ONLY without mentioning their flaws or failings..It is so important for the Church to preach the whole counsel of the Word of God, that way it will maintain its integrity and that way and that way ONLY has God promised bring about His purpose. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11
It is not for me or any of us to get hung up on numbers. It is for those of us who lead to ensure that we do so according to the Bible and that for me is, Preach the Word, in season and out of season, keep preaching the Word, ALL of it, believing absolutely that God is building His Church and never mind absentee millennials or newspaper editorials, the power of Hell itself will NEVER prevail against it..BY all means examine methods and programs, but never think it will by my cleverness that people will be attracted to the Gospel, it will be as we do this, sow the seed (The Word…Mark 4:14) be faithful to doing just that and leave the growing to God by the power of His Holy Spirit!
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 1 Corintians 3:5-7
And the perfect illustration of that is the picture Jesus Himself portrayed….Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.” Mark 4:26-29
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