Joylene had a link to another blog on her site Therapy. http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/ It was dealing with the future of the church --which I am greatly interested in since I am seeking to pastor a "future church." Anyway, the following comment caught my attention:
The churches that thrive will be Biblical churches. God’s Word will be preached. People will feel uncomfortable, challenged, convicted. The future church will be more about preaching and living God’s Word than about attracting people with clever sermon titles, videos, and programs. Sure, we might use those things (or maybe not… GASP!). But only those who preach God’s Word will thrive. The rest will die.
We have had a few people share with us that they think some of the people left our church in La Junta because they felt "uncomfortable, challenged, convicted." The Word of God was being preached, yet some of the older members were leaving, and we were getting new people coming in their place. Unfortunately, the rest of the older members didn't catch on to what was really happening. Why didn't our church thrive if we were preaching the Word?
But there is more to building a church then just preaching the Word of God. It is a big part of course, but building relationships with those who come is very important as well. When I went to a small church in No California several years ago, I thought, "Preach the Word, and they will come." But "they" didn't come because they didn't have any relationships with those who were coming already. The challenge for the established churches then, is to not only "to preach the Word" but also to make connections with others so that they will come to hear the Word preached. And the above article also mentions a key to getting people to come: "and living God's Word." Part of why those people are not making the connections is because many of them are not "living the Word." Those around them don't see the truth of the Word being lived out in the believers they know.
I think it is easier to get a new church moving this direction than it is to get an older established church to move. Every time I look at a position posting for a church seeking a minister and see that it is over 100 years old, I wonder how those people are doing in getting new people to come to hear the Word preached.
What do we do to get people to come and hear the Word that we know will change their lives?
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1 comment:
Yes, I agree with your observations - that people's LIVES must be different than others, so the truth of God will be validatied and than "them" will be interested in what "the church" has to offer. Otherwise, "no thanks"
Our church here in Hemet is one of those over 100 years old (sometimes literally in their age!)We had a meeting with the pastor Tuesday night and he is concerned with how to get the kind, sweet people of the church involved in other's lives. The strategy we are going to try is to work with the children. They are open still and the parents should see the impact on their children's lives and the care the church has for their children and follow up also.
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