Are we wasting our time?

 I recently read a blot post written by someone I respect as a Christian leader. He has challenged me for years to think differently about the church. I've quoted him in some of my books. In his blog he stated his belief that 60-70 percent of pastors are wasting their time serving churches that have no chance of long-term survival. He correctly noted that 80-85 percent of churches in America are plateaued or dying, and many of them will not survive. I personally believe that the majority of those churches are dying, not plateaued. He does not believe that most of those churches will survive long term. Unfortunately, I've come to agree with him.

Several years ago when I served on regional staff in our denomination I would not have agreed with him. I was convinced that with the right pastoral leadership almost any church could be turned around. I now realize that, short of a miracle from God, some of these churches had no chance of survival. They had gone too far down the decline side of the bell curve. They had zero interest in outreach or discipleship. Their only goal was survival. Since then, some of those churches have closed their doors while others continue to hang on by a fingernail waiting for the miracle pastor who can save their church.

It hurts me to say this, but perhaps this church leader is right. Maybe a lot of pastors are wasting their time trying to save something that died a long time ago. While pastors spend their days putting out fires and seeking ways to serve their shrinking congregations, multitudes are dying without Christ. The Great Commission and the Great Commandment are ignored while we try to soothe the ruffled feathers of a patriarch in the church. Too many churches are trying to find the funds to remodel their kitchen while they have nothing in the budget for evangelism and discipleship.

My DMin project was coaching bivocational ministers for greater ministry effectiveness. In one coaching session with a pastor he had questions about an upcoming baptism. Since he seemed so concerned about the details I commented that he seemed very nervous about the baptism and asked why. He responded he wanted it to go well because it was the first baptism in that church in 50 years. I had to wonder what the previous pastors had done while serving that church. Perhaps they had wasted their time and the opportunities to present Jesus Christ to their community.

But, here was a young pastor who was not wasting his time. In our next coaching session he reported the baptism went well. After the service, the congregation marched down to a river bordering their town and baptized the person there. The parade of the congregation was noticed by some people in the community who followed them. They were able to hear the pastor explain the purpose and symbolism of baptism and witness the baptism itself. Several people heard the gospel that day without ever attending the church service. I do not know the long-term outcome of that baptism, but this young pastor sowed some powerful evangelistic seeds that day.

The church leader I quoted earlier would have probably looked at that small church that had gone 50 years without a baptism and determined the church had no chance of survival and any pastor who went there was wasting his or her time. Maybe we should not be so quick to judge that, and maybe that's not our call to make. After all, if God calls a person to serve a church He must have a purpose in doing so.

I realize there are some churches that will not survive. Churches close their doors every week. At some point, denominations and church leaders need to allow them to end their ministries and stop artificially propping them up. At the same time, there are some struggling churches who only need a pastor with a God-given vision to turn them around. Such pastors will not be wasting their time serving in that church. It will take time to pass that vision on to the congregation, and it will take time to implement the vision, but it will be time well spent. It will not be wasted.

Bringing a nation back together

 I think most of us will be glad when this election is over. Each election cycle I think it can't get much worse, but then the next election comes, and I realize I was wrong. Neither candidate has taken the high road. Their comments have enflamed a nation already more divided than we have been since the Civil War. After 9-11 it seemed we came together, but that was short-lived. This election has brought out the worst in many of us. Some of the things that have been said on social media about supporters on both sides are unfair and insulting.

In a few days (hopefully) we will know who our next president will be. Both sides are claiming that if the other party loses there will be widespread rioting by its supporters. I hope not, but past events may support those accusations. America is living in a dangerous time. What can the church do? I think at least two things.

One, we need to remind people that regardless of who sits in the White House, God is still on the throne. It is not the elephant or the donkey that will determine the future of this country but the Lamb. I remind people all the time that our nation's salvation will not come from the White House, the State House, or the courthouse but will come from God's house. As citizens of this nation, Christians have a duty to vote for the candidates that best reflect their values and beliefs, but our focus must always be on God. He has the power to turn the hearts of the kings (Pr. 21: 1).

Secondly, the church must begin to work to bring this nation back together. I realize that some churches have done much to enflame the divisions that exist in this country, but that must cease. It's time the church comes together to preach a message of unity and reconciliation. That begins with people being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and then to be reconciled with one another. This does not mean that people cannot hold different opinions on issues, but it's past time that we stop screaming at one another and begin to debate our differences seeking guidance from God

For this to happen, the church must admit its own sins that have led to the divisions in our nation. Until the church leads the way in this, our nation will never be healed from its divisions (2 Chr. 7: 14). As this verse says, this will require humility on the part of the church, and such humility can be a rare commodity in some churches. Our nation needs to repent, and such repentance must begin in God's house.

The evangelistic church

 Last night I finished reading I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. It is, by far, the best book I've read this year. It was fairly heavy reading, and I wanted something perhaps a little lighter. I pulled out a book from my library I had not read in many years titled The Evangelistic Church by John Havlik. It was published in 1976 so I imagine it would not be easy to find a copy. Havlick is a Southern Baptist, and while he expresses his joy in what the churches in his denomination was doing regarding evanglism, he also recognized there were problems. I want to share a paragraph from the introduction. If it was true in 1976, it is even more true today. He wrote

"Some of our churches have settled into a dull routine that is unexciting and unappealing. The joy and celebration over evangelistic victories have been lost in the flat sameness of service after service. Some of our churches (especially in the cities) have not learned how to communicate with a secular society. Some of our churches exist as a well-insulated little pocket of spirituality in the midst of a sea of indifference. The world does not hate us. They do not love us. They do not know we are here."

WOW! I can't say if his words were true in 1976, but they are certainly true in 2024. A few years ago I served as the Transitional Pastor of a church that had served its community for well over 200 years. It had one of the largest buildings in the community. I was amazed at how many people who lived in that community had no idea where the church was located.

I am currently serving a church that will soon celebrate its 175th anniversary. Again, it is one of the largest church buildings in the community and sits just off a major highway in that community. Numerous times I've been asked where the church was located. The community does not know we are here.

I fear that many churches could close their doors tomorrow, and no one in the community could tell the difference. One of the things church leaders should ask is: Is there anything we do that our community could not live without? If the answer is no, that community sees your church as irrelevant, if they even know you exist.

The people in the first century certainly knew the church was there, and this was without large buildings, seminary-trained pastors, professionally-designed ministries, or any of the other things we think are needed today. They saw the church in action, and the Bible tells us the Lord added daily to the church those who were being saved. I don't know about you, but I want to see God add persons being saved daily to the church I serve.

That will require that we take seriously the Great Commission and adopt the attitude that we will do anything except sin to reach unsaved persons for Jesus Christ. This is the mission God has given the church, and if we fail in this mission we will have failed as a church.

The faith that is required to be an atheist

 I don't usually do this, but I have to promote a book I recently promoted:  I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. When I wrote about it before I was only on the first chapter, but it was so good I had to encourage you to read it. I'm now half-way through the book, and it keeps getting better. It is the best book on apologetics I have read, and I have a number of them in my shelf.

Books on apologetics are sometimes written for academics and can be difficult for the average person to follow. This book is not like that. It's not a simple, quick read, but it is highly readable. The authors, Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, have written a book that is readable for almost any person. Both are highly respected Christian philosophers who have debated numerous atheists during their careers. The arguments they present in this book are sound and will help anyone defend their faith against the most strident nonbeliever. They also will help answer any questions Christians may have about their faith.

The chapter I am currently reading is discussing miracles. They are specifically addressing David Humes' arguments against the possibility of miracles. With simple logic they are able to shoot holes in his argument and prove the existence of miracles and how those miracles point to the existence of God.

Throughout the book they correctly point out that the arguments nonbelievers have against the existence of God is not based on sound reasoning or logic but on the determination to discount His existence so they can live their lives without any moral restraints. They have to reject all the obvious evidence that God does exist in order to hold on to their belief (hope?) that He does not. There will come a time when they will realize how wrong they were. Of course, the saddest part of their of their refusal to believe in the existence of God will be the multitudes of people they were able to convince their worldview was right.

I plan to do a series of messages in 2025 that will speak to the evidences of the existence of God. This book will be one of my resources for these messages. I wish I had read this book earlier in my ministry, but I'm thankful I found it now. I will say again, I cannot recommend this book more highly.

Church 2024

For decades now some have predicted the end of the church. Such people have evidently never read Jesus' words that the gates of hell will not destroy the church. The church will never die, but we will admit that the church is struggling right now. It is going through a transition that is bringing about changes that many find frightening. These changes threaten how people view the church and have understood it for many years. It is a transition that the church needs and will weed out the pretenders from the true believers.

The Baptist preacher, Vance Havner, once said that many churches start at 11:00 sharp and end at 12:00 dull. Truer words have never been spoken. Worship in too many churches consist of singing a few songs to our hymnbooks and following an order that precludes the Holy Spirit from doing anything. Songs, a couple of prayers and listening to a talking head is not worship. There is little recognition of Almighty God in many of our services. Everything is designed to get everyone out in an hour so as not to interfere with their plans for the remainder of the day. For many church members, attending the service allows them to mark that off their to-do list so they can get on with the important things on their schedules.

Worship is changing in many churches. Hymnbooks are being replaced by more modern music. Organs are being replaced by guitars, drums and other instruments. Worship is becoming more lively. Even traditional Baptists are sometimes seen with their hands in the air worshiping God. (Shocking, I know!) The Holy Spirit is given time and space to move in people's lives, and, as a result, people's lives are being changed. 

Sermons are changing as well. As a younger person I sat in services where a red-faced, sweating preacher stomped and snorted from one side of the pulpit area to the other. I don't remember that he ever said anything especially worthwhile, but he was sincere. Today, as I preach, I tell stories that illustrate what the Bible text is teaching. I'm more of a teacher in the pulpit. I want my listeners to have a better understanding of what the Bible teaches is the way to a rewarding life now and eternal life in the future.

The church is changing in the way it does discipleship as well. While Sunday school classes can still be found, many churches offer small groups and short-term Bible studies in addition to their traditional Sunday school classes. People who attend these additional studies tend to grow more as disciples than those who simply attend whatever is offered on Sunday morning.

I have to admit that I do not know how these changes will eventually impact the church. I wish I was a younger person because I doubt that I will live long enough to see the final result of these changes, but I am excited about the future of the church. The changes will drive out many of the make-believers sitting in our pews today, or it will convert them to true Christianity. Rather than the church dying out, these changes will strengthen it and make it a much more formidable force in the world drawing people into the Kingdom of God.

To those who love the Lord, I say to you, hold on. You're about to have quite a ride, but when you get to the other side you are going to realize it was worth it!

Being in the wrong place

 I can remember as a child watching the Republican national convention when Eisenhower was nominated as their candidate for president. I've been interested in politics ever since. In high school I entertained the idea of going to college to be an attorney which may well have led me into politics. Of course, I never pursued either becoming an attorney or a politician, but I remain interested in the political process. Over the years I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans. I am much more interested in what the person stands for than I am what political party he or she may belong to. With this background, I believe I have earned the right to say that neither of the candidates for president in this election cycle impress me. Both have an amazing capacity to say really stupid things. It's hard for me to believe that neither party has anyone better to represent them, and our country, than these two.

While both have made comments that bother me, no statement concerns me more than Kamala Harris' comment to the individual who shouted out at her meeting, "Jesus is Lord." She responded that they were at the wrong rally in a very flippant manner. She has been under a great deal of criticism for her comment, and some suggest it indicates what her attitude towards Christianity will be if she is elected president.

On the one hand, it is one of the stupidest comments I've ever heard from a candidate of either party. To tell Christians they should not be at a political rally is saying that they and their Christians views are not welcome there. On the other hand, it is possible that this shows the potential attitude that they will have towards Christians if elected to the highest political office in the land. Either way, it sends a message to a large voting block that their beliefs and values do not matter. This is not the way to win election

Of course, she may feel safe in insulting Christians. We are told that a majority of Christians will not vote in this election. If that is true, then insulting Christians may not bother either candidate. But if it is true, this shows a serious disconnect between our responsibilities as citizens of this country. We have a responsibility to vote for those who best reflect our moral values and beliefs.

I will never tell anyone who to vote for in any political race. As a pastor I will only say that we should vote for the persons who best reflect our Christian values and beliefs. As I said earlier, I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans in the past, and I will split my ballot again this year. If you are legally registered to vote, I encourage you to vote this year.  Much depends on it.

Anniversary

 Last week my wife, Faye, and I celebrated our 58th wedding anniversary. Normally, we go to Florida for about 10 days for our anniversary, but with all the problems there this year we decided to stay home. I did miss the ocean and the wonderful, fresh seafood, but we had a good anniversary anyway.

In 58 years you sure get to experience a lot of life. There have been peaks and valleys like all couples have, but the peaks have far outnumbered the valleys. The good news is that during both the peaks and valleys, we were there for each other. There were times we stood alone, but we stood together.

I recently read that the average age for males today who get married is around 30 years of age. For women it is 28. I was 18 and Faye was 19 when we married. By the time we reached today's average age of marriage we had two kids, I had served a tour of duty in the Navy, and we had a decade of marriage behind us. Some said we were too young to get married, and maybe we were, but we loved each other and were committed to each other, so why wait? I'm glad we didn't.

There is no woman I would have wanted for my wife besides Faye. I cannot say enough good things about her, but she has been a constant source of encouragement, support, and dedication throughout our marriage. The crowns she has earned in heaven will lay heavy on her head. I can almost hear God saying to her, "I don't know how you put up with him!"

Our walk with God didn't begin until we had been married for a few years, but it strengthened our marriage even more. I truly do not understand how marriages survive without God at the center of that relationship. I thank God every night for bringing her into my life and for the years we've been together.

We've been blessed with a daughter and a son and several grandchildren. The grandchildren are getting older now which makes me feel even older! What a blessing our children and grandchildren have been! We love them more every day.

We both are looking forward to more years together.