It is discouraging to put a puzzle together and ultimately find out that some of the pieces are missing. You can try to force other pieces in the wrong place, but they simply won't fit. The whole experience is frustrating.
I can't help but think that the 21st century American Church has some pieces missing. Well-meaning pastors and leaders are trying to force wrong items in place of the missing pieces. I think that even the most optimistic person would have to confess that there are things missing from our churches these days. Our churches lack the power that we read about in the book of Acts. Churches are not making the impact that they used to. Churches are shrinking. Influence is fading. Scandals are multiplying. Souls are perishing. Yet churches conduct services weekly, as if nothing is wrong.
Are you content with the status quo? Are you satisfied with the results we are seeing? Do you honestly think that all is well with our churches? I can only speak for myself when I say that I am not satisfied. We can act happy about the current state of our churches, but deep down we know that things aren't right.
Here are some reasons why I believe American churches are in trouble. I'm old enough to remember crowds at churches being so large that folding chairs had to be used to accommodate the people. That is rare these days. It used to be rather common to drive on a Sunday afternoon and see a large crowd gather at a creek bank for a baptism service. What ever happened to those days? What ever happened to Holy Ghost conviction that would lead people to get saved or wish they had? Few people leave church wiping tears from their eyes. As I once wrote, dry baptistries are often due to dry eyes. It used to be that the biggest pagan in the community had a certain degree of respect for church, but not these days. Today, there are churches are nearly every corner, and many of them are nearly empty. Baptisms are few and far between. Even churches in larger cities aren't doing as well as expected. Sure, they have large crowds but they are only reaching a tiny percentage of their community. Sadly, for most professing Christians, attending church has been a low-priority option. Brothers and sisters, we have problems.
Our temptation is to blame our ungodly society. We want to blame politicians and celebrities for our woeful state. But the problem is not outside the church, it is an inside problem.
Some will hire consultants to study their churches and render suggestions. I am sure consultants mean well, but is that really the right thing to do? I propose that we go no further than our Bible to seek answers. I suggest we get on our knees and seek God for the help we need. He knows our situation better than we do and He knows how to correct it.
The first step in solving any problem is to admit you have one. We have a problem. Actually, we have multiple problems. Instead of pretending that all is well, it is time to get honest. The American church is anemic and weak.
Lord willing, over the coming weeks, I hope to share with you some of the pieces we are missing. Don't expect an earth shattering revelation. As I share them, you will probably admit that these things are truly missing in most churches, perhaps our own.
While Samaria starved to death, four lepers got desperate enough to ask, “Why sit we here until we die?” Their attitude led to action. In spite of their leprosy, God used them to bring food to the starving people of the city.
We need some people who will get desperate enough to say, “Why sit we here until we die?” Whether we want to admit it or not, the church's influence is dying here in America. Churches are dying. People are dying. Why sit we here until we die?
It is time to discover the missing pieces and beg God to put these pieces in place today.
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