Church Re-engineered
I believe the Church in the 21st Century must awaken to the reality of its present mission and embrace all of its foundational, biblical principles. We must become relevant; walk the talk that communicates our passion for God and compassion for people.
As Christians we must recapture our "state of innocence" in trusting and obeying God. To do so means that we must be willing to allow God opportunity to bring the needed changes to our lives that foster transformation according to His design.
Transformation is not all about copying ministry designs, replicating formulas for success, or manipulating imbalanced attempts at growth. Transformation is all about God helping people become originals instead of copycats.
This is grand opportunity for all of us to discover (or rediscover) the inherent potentials and possibilities that lay docile or "untapped" within our midst. It time to celebrate our own unique God-given lives, respecting other’s differences, and then capitalizing on personal strengths and pooled resources.
Transformation is a journey into innovative thinking and creative works. It is a "process" that requires that each step be taken with enthusiasm, determination, and calculated risks. The results are always subject to God’s will and our willingness to "connect" and "cooperate."
This is what makes transformation so inviting…exciting…and worthwhile! We must be “about the Father’s business.” And we must do it, right now!
Consider the current state of Christianity in the today:
- 85% of the 350,000+ churches in today are stagnant or in decline. Six out of ten Americans believe the church is irrelevant. Only one out of three pastors believes the church is making a positive impact on American culture - George Barna Research Group
- Evangelical churches have failed to gain an additional 2% of the American population in the past 50 years. In other words, we are not even reaching our own children. - American Society for Church Growth
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North America is the only continent where Christianity is not growing. - George Gallop, Church in the World Today - During the last 10 years the combined communicant membership of all Protestant denominations has declined by 9.5% while the national population has increased by 11%. What’s more, not one county in the
US has a higher percentage of churched people than it did 10 years ago. - Charles Arn Institute of Church Growth - Half of all churches last year did not add one new member through conversion growth. - American Society for Church Growth
- Approximately 70 to 80% of all church growth in the country can be attributed to the movement of Christians from one church to another. - George Barna Research Group
- 4,000 Churches close each year in the US and 3,500 people leave the Church each year committed not to return. One-half of all ministry students are out of the ministry within five years of graduation. Only 12% of churches are growing but only by way of transfer growth from other churches. Only 3% are growing by conversion growth. 167 to 187 million non-Christians live in
America, making us the fourth largest mission field in the world. The Church is growing on every continent except North America - "A Snapshot of the Church" from the McAlvany Intelligence Report
Christians are starving to death!
Churches everywhere are filled with Christians who are starving to death for meaningful relationships, passionate spirituality, and purpose. The are searching for a place to belong…grow…and participate in the building of "life-giving community." Many Christians are inside the church walls hoping for better times; others are "displaced" outside the walls hoping for change in the Church.
Something has to be done to "bridge the gap" between Church and community. The sleeping giant (the Church) must be awakened and transformed; but for this to happen, changes must come!
We cannot afford wasting time in addressing people’s needs and church problems with the same level of thinking that helped create them in the first place. To do so would suggest an insane process – “doing the same things over and over again…expecting different results.”
We must prepare and position ourselves for a "paradigm shift" in awareness…attitude…and application. Maybe it’s time for the 21st Century Church to re-engineer and recapture its true essence. I am thankful for those churches that have heard the voices of those "crying in the wilderness" and answered the call.
My hope is that more will have "ears to hear."
