Would anyone argue that churches of Christ are in great need of revival? The headline in the February 2009 issue of The Christian Chronicle discourages: Church in America marked by decline. There are 526 fewer congregations and 78,436 fewer members since 2003. While the population of the US has increase 36.3% since 1980, the church has declined 1.4% since then. The article exposed a historical myth that placed churches of Christ among the fastest growing in the 1950s and 1960s. The truth is that this myth was not based on fact but based on estimates of 10% growth each year. When Mac Lynn conducted an accurate census for the 1980 edition of Where the Saints Meet, the estimate of 2.5 million had to be adjusted to the actual numbers of 1.6 million.
What is the reason for the decline? Within the church, since the 1980s we have suffered division as a result of the disciplining movement and the change of a cappella worship to instrumental worship. Yet it appears the largest decline is due to the loss of youth. The failure to keep up with the population growth reflects a failure to be significant to our changing culture due to immigration and diverse cultural changes. These two reasons raise two issues. The first issue is what can we do to reach out to youth and young families and to keep our youth and young families? The second issue is what can we do to practice and communicate our faith so that we will connect with significance to our increasingly diverse culture?
Some object to the observation that we have failed to be significant in times of great changes in cultural diversity, which includes not only religious diversity but diverse secular ideas and forces. The evidence is that many other traditional American churches have reported declines. Bandwagons beckon those who still attend church to join them in promoting their indictments and solutions. Forgive my caricature of these bandwagons, but: some harp on their distinctive doctrines; others toot growth research and methods; a few march to the drum beat of assertive apologetics; and many sing the tune that to survive we must change with the times. It’s not that all that is bad, it’s just that with all the hoopla, statistical church growth research reveals that evangelicals or Bible believing Christians have little to show. (See for example the research of George Barna at www.barna.org).
I inquire of God, “What are we missing?” I would like to do something to help turn the declining tide. Perhaps it’s my Restoration heritage preaching now, but I believe that the simple, persevering devotions of the early Christians to the kingdom of God would still make a difference in any culture and time. Yet that doesn’t mean we should ignore the unique challenges of our culture; especially the determined individual spirituality and the neglected communal spirituality. Fellowship has become a potluck gathering, not the essential habitat and work of the church. Christians get guidance like gossip, not from dedicated learning, discussing, understanding and practicing the Bible as the Word of God. Church members once were devoted to warming the pews; but now lukewarm hearts have caused cold seats and Christ’s own body is disabled from missing, apathetic or disheartened members.
We are missing R & R – not Rest and Relaxation, but Reconciliation and Restoration. Reconciliation is the mission of the church members as fellow-workers together in the Lord (2 Corinthians 3 – 6). Restoration is the progressive and ultimate realization of the God’s blessings upon all nations and upon us all through the kingdom of His beloved Son, Jesus the Messiah (Isaiah 11, 42, and 61; Acts 3; and Ephesians 1 – 3). These two words express the essence of our hope in God’s promise; and of Christ’s own calling for us to join him as fellow-workers so that we have not received his grace in vain. Rest and Relaxation is very me or special friends oriented. It’s great in proper proportion, but we overreach and neglect brotherly affection and fellowship that is without favoritism. Reconciliation and Restoration is very people oriented, because to accomplish and enjoy these we must love, reach out, serve, fellowship, and enrich one another’s lives by sharing our common faith and work together in the Lord. The blessing that results from this kind of R & R is beautifully described by the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 (ESV): “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.” R & R is really worth our time, effort and zeal.
4 Comments
February 15, 2009 at Sunday, February 15, 2009
Not only in the US, the church needs a revival in most countries where affluence reigns.
Johnson C. Philip, PhD (Physics)
India
February 16, 2009 at Monday, February 16, 2009
Agreed! Francis Schaeffer wrote a book in 1976 entitled: How Should We Then Live? He pointed out that western society adopted the two impoverished values of personal peace and affluence. He explained that personal peace is the desire to be let alone and not be bothered by other peoples problems. Interestingly, a recent article on George Barna’s webpage entitled, Christianity Is No Longer Americans’ Default Faith, explains how in America Christianity has been redefined by the supremacy of individualism. Thank you for your comment! — Bryan
February 18, 2009 at Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Brian,
How are you doing? I miss getting together for coffee and having serious discussions about the kingdom. I pray all is well with you and your family!
Speaking of myths, if some could just see through the myth that suggests that the CoCs are God’s special people, then the head counts would matter less. The head count is just a way of saying “we” have this many. Who is “we”? The census cut out any instrumental churches from the count. Churches of Christ are shrinking, in part, because of what counts as a “true” church of Christ. The sectarianism that suggest that identity is based on whether or not a congregation is pro-instrument or not will continue to rot the influence of those affiliated with Churches of Christ. No matter what else, at some point people have to explain to potential converts why there’s a seperate identity for those who preach the 5 step plan, adhere to the 5 part worship structure, and suppose that God is actually against instruments in worship. And it’s at that point that the house of cards comes tumbling down in a heap of silly arguments about command, example, and necessary inference.
Declining numbers is perhaps the least of a sectarian’s problems.
Ben
http://hopefulliving.wordpress.com
seca.pm@gmail.com
February 19, 2009 at Thursday, February 19, 2009
Ben, I am very happy to hear from you and thank you for your prayers. I have thought of you often and prayed for your family as well. I not only miss the kingdom discussions, but I would like to have learn more Irish sayings, like: “A jig with a jag.” That insight has been so useful. I remember after MacLynn first came out with the directory, I was in his class at HUGSR. He knew the instrumental Churches of Christ/Christian Churches had their own directory that left the non-instrumental Churches of Christ out. He also knew there was a clear historical divide in practical fellowship between the two. So there was an intentional decision not to include instrumental congregations in the directory. I got the impression from his explanation that he was merely recognizing a historical fact that continued to form the major distinction between the two groups. However he had to deal with the various divisions within the non-instrumental Churches of Christ. In this case he adopted the method of allowing the individual congregation designate its own distinction. Thus throughout the directory many congregations are self-designated as NI [meaning non-institutional]. From my experience with NI groups, their distinction is also reasoned by their application of the interpretation method of command, approved apostolic example and necessary inference. It’s an irony of history that the restoration movement started as a non-sectarian unity movement and may die in history from its sectarianism. Yet this ship is my heritage, and I love her. Is there a way to cherish distinctive practices that are part of your heritage and the church’s heritage, and not be sectarian about it? I think that sectarianism has resulted in in many negative expressions that are smoke in a smoldering building; causing inhabitants to run out choking from suffocating. I don’t want this ship to be the Titanic and I don’t want this building to burn down. To use a cliche’, I want to know how to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.