Category: Church

Jesus tells the story about a sower sowing seeds (Mk. 4:3-9). As he describes the ancient way farmers planted their crops, he stopped focusing on the sower and spent his time discussing the soil. His four descriptions of the type of soil drive the story. One soil never allows the seed to penetrate the surface. Two soils do allow the seed to penetrate but the seed never takes root, either because the sun scorches the growth or is squeezed out by weeds. The final soil is rich and filled with nutrients to allow for growth.

As much as the focus on the sower drives discussion of contemporary church growth, Scripture says much more about the kind of soil for the seed. Looking at today’s soil factors and understanding the ramifications might help in understanding how to tend to the soil for the seed to take root.

The information available tells us that churches in America have stopped growing and are on the decline. I recently read a report that the Southern Baptist Convention lost 200,000 members over the last year or more. One source I read said that Churches of Christ’s growth plateaued in 1980 and started losing numbers in the 1990’s. Since we do not have collectively accurate records of our members, one may argue any statistics about our fellowship. While pockets of growth are seen in individual congregations, most growth is sporadic at best.

If church growth always mirrors the community, then a couple of community facts must be established. The racial demographics have shifted across America. Not only have the number of people in a household has diminished, but society has grown older. An older society means churches are filled with older members, which means attracting younger members becomes more difficult. Along with the aging society is the influx of minority groups. The white community is not only greying but shrinking as well, with the black and brown community growing. Churches committed to homogeneous congregations will find fewer potential members among the white communities. The white community is older and there is not as many of that demographics as there were in the past.

One other dynamic that will negatively impact church growth is the sex scandal of the Catholic Church. Not long ago, it was believed that the corruption was only in America, but further studies have shown that the scandal is a world-wide cover-up. If churches faced scrutiny before this scandal broke, one can imagine what life under the microscope will be like now. The Catholic Church’s conflict will not be self-contained and its siezmic tremors will be felt in all religious bodies.

While many other factors are in play regarding the soil for church growth, a couple of observations can be made about the above information. First, if a local congregation is going to grow it will have to work hard at it and probably need creative approaches to do so. What we’ve done and might have been successful in the past will not easily translate to today. Secondly, the mobility of America still offers local churches the chance to attract new members, as long as churches recognize and open to accepting the nomads who are moving to their neighborhoods. Thirdly, the flood of immigration coming to America means more than opportunities of fulfilling the Great Commission. As long as individual congregations are willing to put skin color and language behind them, the fields may very well be ripe, if only God had workers willing to work. Finally, issues of integrity, authentic faith and a safe environment for children (and maybe for women) will go a long way to bring healing to the hurting and experience growth at the same time.

Ultimately, growth is not up to an individual or fully in the hands of the local church. Yes, we can prepare the soil. We can plant a seed and water it. But even Paul admitted that ultimately God gives the increase (1 Cor 3:6-8).

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

In the past Sioto County’s Portsmouth, Ohio gained a reputation for successful shoes companies, as well as the shoestring company that employed many of its residences. Portsmouth was part of the “Rust Belt” in America as a big manufacturer of steel. Portsmouth produced some household names who played in the Major Leagues like Al Oliver and Gene Tenace, while across the river came Don Gullett.  Who could talk baseball without mentioning the influence of local hero, Branch Rickey, the Dodger’s General Manager who signed Jackie Robinson? From an iconic marker who couldn’t think of Portsmouth without the pool, Dream Land, where friends and family gathered at the park to swim, eat and dream away the summer days. 

But those days are past. The shoe companies abandoned the region. The steel factories shut down. Portsmouth’s presence in the Major Leagues has been quiet. And the Dream Land pool has been filled in and paved for a strip mall.

In the void, Portsmouth became Ground Zero for the opioid crisis. According to Sam Quinones’ book, Dream Land, a perfect storm converged that hit in Portsmouth. First came the pharmaceutical companies who perpetuated a misinformed and fallible research belief that opioids were virtually non-addictive. The pharmaceutical industry believed they found the solution to controlling pain without fear of addiction; they were wrong. The second gathering storm was the “Pill Mill” factories, where doctors, focused on pain management, set up practice for the purpose of dispensing the opioids. What emerged was an industry without regulation being run by many doctors who had lost their license to practice. Patients paid in cash and were given, what turned out to be, an open ended prescription to opioids like OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin (honest doctors were caught in the middle of either prescribing for pain or being seen as insensitive to patients pain). Finally, smuggled in from a small state in Mexico came the Black Tar Heroin. In a “pizza delivery” format, the Mexicans sold heroin, to white middle-class people in bigger cities like Columbus, Ohio and to smaller towns like Portsmouth. Instead of you going to a crack house or allies, they delivered to you in a public area. The price was cheap, accessible, and the product was potent. Many who were addicted to opioids eventually became hooked on this form of heroin. 

Living in the wake of this perfect storm is certainly better than the storm itself. Federal regulators finally stopped the Pill Mill industry and held the pharmaceutical industry accountable for the damage done. Law enforcement agencies figured out how the Black Tar Heroin ring was operating and started convicting dealers to long-term prison sentences.  Most importantly, family members of drug addict victims started speaking out to remove the stigma and shame of their loved one being an addict.  What happened to them could have easily happened to anyone, anywhere. 

As Quinones drew conclusions to his opioid story, he noted the important role community plays in heading off addiction and gaining support while recovering from addiction. For thirty years our society has barricaded itself within its homes believing that it’s safer than engaging the world. The opioid crisis struck at this belief as the ones hit hardest by the crisis were the white middle-class who believed their home was a sanctuary. It’s time to engage our neighborhood community.  Also, our prison system needs to look at the role they play in helping recovering addicts.  Simply locking up addicts without long term drug intervention will not curb the epidemic nor the addiction. Finally, churches must rethink their role in staying off the drug epidemic. One church in Portland, Oregon started with the intent of sharing the gospel with addicts. Their teachings focusing on Jesus: love, forgiveness and transformation. They’re known as “The Rehab Church.” 

Church is the first and last line of defense in surviving the Dream Land. Church provides a built-in community needed for an alternative to a destructive lifestyle and a protection against drugs and the drug world. Church provides a venue for confession to transpire, confessing either an addiction or the battle a family member is fighting. Church provides the grace to struggle along with the cushion to fail and to fall without fear. Church provides the hope for a recovering community to succeed. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

The Church is a beacon of light and hope to the community, and even to the world. For two thousand years the Church has built hospitals to heal the sick. They’ve built orphanages and provided adoption agencies to give children a home off the streets. They’ve dug wells in third world countries, and sent doctors overseas where medicine cannot be found. They’ve worked with people to break their addictive behaviors. They’ve provided counseling for troubled people and couples. They’ve comforted families during times of painful death, and celebrated with families during times of joyful birth. They’ve provided the foundation for education and have been prolific in publications. They’ve been a part of changing people’s lives. More importantly, they’ve provided the framework for a community to connect with God. 

If the Church’s accomplishment is a banner flying high, then the Church’s failure is the black eye, exposed for all to see. We’re not speaking of missteps, where the Church fails to show compassion, or fails to close the back door and members are lost. We’re talking about systemic failure that has tarnished the Church, both locally and world-wide. 

Three words come together that may stand at the root of the Church’s darker side: Power, Politics, and Protection. 

• Power is the ability to manipulate or control the direction of the Church, or its membership. Leadership uses their power to force people in line (Mk. 10:42) instead of serving them. They will resort to intimidate, threaten, and verbally assault people to comply with their wishes. Being right is more important than doing right. Members exercise their power through attendance and contribution. The fact is money talks, and congregations need people in the pews and a means to finance ministries. Members resort to manipulation in order to achieve their own personal agenda. 

• Politics skews right and wrong, and justice is lost. Politics involve the abuse of power through key individuals. Maybe they have money. Maybe they have influence. The result is that certain subjects are not addressed, and certain individuals are never confronted. Too many preachers have been forced to sell out their own integrity for fear of offending the wrong members of a church; truth has often been sacrificed for position. 

• Protection is a Biblical mandate, but only in regard to the weak and vulnerable (Jam. 1:27). However, when certain members, because of money, position or family connections, commit indiscretions that are covered up, then protection is flipped on its heels. For years the Catholic Church protected priests who abused boys in their diocese. The abuse fractured the Church, but the cover-up sent shockwaves beyond the Church. 

In an era when Church’s reputation has been tarnished, when Churches are viewed as irrelevant, and when the good the Church has accomplished has been outweighed by the bad it has done, the Church needs to be proactive in securing its own integrity.  John tells us that “light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (1:5). Light needs to continually shine in and on the church in order to prevent the dark side of the church to overcome the light.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God is Glorified!)

A few years ago, a speaker at a conference painted a picture of the church in modern day Jerusalem. He said that when the church comes together, the membership is drawn from the demographics in the region. Such can be said for many and probably most churches. You plant a church in a certain community, and that church is a cross section of that community (or at least it should be). So what do the members of a growing church in Jerusalem look like? He said, their membership is comprised of Christians whose backgrounds include Jews, Palestinians, Israeli’s and Muslims.

I think it’s hard for us to get our minds wrapped around a church comprised of so many different, if not volatile, backgrounds. We’ve bought into the American belief that the best way to grow a church is through minimizing differences and maximizing commonalities. White Christians have their white churches, while black Christians have theirs. Rich Christians have their churches, while poor churches have theirs. Christians to the “so-called right” have their churches, while Christians to the “so-called left” have theirs. Such a mindset is so pervasive, we cannot imagine another option for building churches. 

The more I reflect on this church in Jerusalem, the more intrigued I am about the inner-workings of this church. What do they talk about? How do they manage separating their national heritage from their spiritual reality? We’re looking at Christians whose national people have shed blood over a God-given land, and over a city where his Name resides. In a region so divisive, holding peace together by a thread, how does that church not tear itself apart?  Surely, individual members want a piece of the action!

In the final chapter of Romans, Paul issues greetings to almost thirty individuals (more so if you count the households and house churches). Scholars will tell you that the list of names include Jews and Gentiles, slaves and freedmen, men and women. The core problem in Rome was primarily the Jewish Christian and Gentile Christian trying to come together as one. In an over simplified illustration, when they came together to eat, were they serving ham sandwiches or kosher fish sticks? So as Paul was encouraging the church to apply his rich theology of the previous chapters, he tells them to “greet one another.” More so, the commonality for their greeting was not their Jewish or Gentile heritage, but in the One who saved them. Four times he tells them that their relationship is rooted in Jesus Christ (Rom. 16:3,7,9, 10), while five times he says it’s rooted in the Lord (Rom. 16:8,11,12a,12b,13). What brings Christians together is beyond one’s ideology, but is found in our relationship to the Risen Savior. He’s the common point of reference. 

Beyond Christ, everything of importance becomes a reason to divide, and it fuels our passions to have a piece of the action. Fans defend their sports teams, and even turn a blind eye to the unscrupulous conduct of the players, coaches and schools/ownerships. Christians mark off denomination territories to defend their doctrinal positions, at the expense of justice, mercy, and humility. Citizens take their personal political views to draw a line in the sand daring someone to cross or to hold an opposing viewpoint. And when sports, religion and politics converge, it’s always combustible. We’ve witnessed this as if we’re sitting in box seats: instead of seeking peace, everyone wants a piece of the action. 

So how do you counsel members of the church in Jerusalem, whose background includes such divisive political perspectives, and where unity is frail? Do you tell them to stand their ground? Do you help fuel the fires of division, or help bridge the gap by seeking the one commonality they can hold on to? After offering your counsel to them, what advice do you bring back home?  Do you really want a piece of the action, or a peace in the midst of the action?

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God is Glorified!)

Even though Subway has been around as long as I have lived, the sandwich shop never entered my peripheral until the turn of the century. In fact, I didn’t really see the store until Matthew started talking about his friend, Chandler, telling him it was his favorite restaurant (I think the slogan, “Eat Fresh,” was part of the reason he enjoyed the franchise).  Soon after, my friend, Terry and I, started eating lunches together and we often chose Subway as a healthy alternative to the local Mexican or the local buffet. Having fresh vegetables to add to sandwiches allows for healthier choices to our food. 

Soon after moving to Elkton, I discovered that Subway became my “go to” restaurant in a town with limited dining opportunities. Not only was it a relatively healthy and affordably priced, but it was also delicious. I ate there as many as four times a week, and created a strong friendship with the Indian husband/wife owners and their workers. When I moved to Scioto County, Ohio, I had high expectations about the local Subway stores. To be honest, I never realized how spoiled I got eating at the Subway in Elkton, as something has been missing from the number of the local Subways in Scioto County (not all, but some). 

I can’t help but wonder why the same franchise, offering the same product, has quality-control problems. How the one in Elkton could become almost an addictive treat, and the ones here struggle to satisfy? A number of reasons may exist to explain the discrepancy, but we might focus on the Subway slogan, Eat Fresh.  Could it be that some Subways cut corners on freshness? Maybe. But you’re not reading this for a critique of Subway, are you? In that case, what can we say about churches? How come certain churches, even within the same fellowship of believers, are almost addictive to be a part of while other churches within the same fellowship struggle to satisfy? Could the answer be found in Freshness verses something Stale? 

If Jesus is the Bread of Life (Jn. 1:35), then some churches are offering a Fresh Jesus, while others are offering a Stale Jesus. Let me offer three areas where we can replace the Stale with the Fresh. 

FreshWorship > When Jesus was talking to the woman at the well, he talked about worshiping in “spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:23-24). When Jesus spoke these words, he wasn’t arguing a doctrinal position about worship. In fact, he had just told her that the “place” of worship was about to mean nothing to God (Jn. 4:21).  Jesus was addressing issues of integrity, honesty and authenticity. We come to worship God with so many agendas and motives.  Sometimes we want people to pat us on the back to tell us we’re spiritual (see Mt. 6:1-18). Sometimes we’re just punching our ticket thinking we’re doing God a favor by showing up. Sometimes we arrive as critics, dissecting the worship leaders, the preacher, and the leadership.  If enough members are acting out of such agendas, the worship will be Stale. Fresh Worship means checking our hearts at the door and throwing ourselves into the worship of God. 

FreshRelationships > the New Testament contains over 100 “one another” statements (love one another, serve one another, serve one another, etc.). These statements force church members to move from peripheral relationships into something real and authentic (try that “forgiven one another” when you don’t want to forgive). Stale church relationships remain on the surface, never allowing times to share dreams, struggles, and hopes; they tend to be disposable too.  Fresh Relationships love spending time together. They create safe areas where confession is encouraged and accountability is present. Fighting for each other is far more common that fighting with each other.     

FreshPreaching > When Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus, he coined a phrase unique to those epistles, “sound doctrine.”  The teachings of the church is the best way to understand, “doctrine.” On the other hand, “Soundness” is best understood as “healthy.” The teachings of the church is supposed to be healthy for the members of the body. The word and the context of the “Pastorals” also speak to the moral and ethical message. In short, Fresh Preaching is less about the preacher’s dynamic or props he uses, nor is it about holding to party-line beliefs, but is more about healthy teaching that leads members into making changes in their lives. 

While I’m still looking to capture the Subway experience from Elkton, I’m far more interested in watching churches capture the freshness of God’s vision for the church. Stale bread needs to be thrown out and replaced with something fresh. A stale church needs the Holy Spirit to breathe freshness through it. When that happens we’ll find a new way to Eat Fresh!

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

The story is told of a pig, a chicken and a cow living together on the farm. They loved the farmer who fed and cared for them on a daily basis. One day the chicken came to the cow and the pig with an idea. Since the farmer had been so good to them, they ought to do something special for the farmer. The cow and pig readily agreed, but deciding on what to do was harder than originally thought. Finally, the cow recommended making the farmer breakfast. The chicken thought it was a perfect idea, and suggested bacon and eggs with a cup of milk. With the chicken and the cow quickly on board with the plan, the pig pipped in with his concern.  “All this sounds really good,” he said, “but just remember that while you’re making a contribution, I’m making a commitment.” 

The line between simply contributing to an organization and being fully committed to an organization may be very grey, but the distinction may also be significant for sure. Contribute may mean the bare minimum or giving the least amount of effort. On the other hand, commitment may reflect how the person is all in, and willing to sink or swim with the group or the mission. 

A student goes to school, and depending on whether she’s there for a contribution or commitment may reflect in the grades she’s earning. An athlete plays a sport, and whether he disciplines his body while working his technique or simply relies on his own talent, may be the difference between making a contribution or an all-in commitment. Co-workers shows up for work. If they are making a contribution, they are on time (barely) and finish their work as requested, but not early. If you need help on your project, you probably cannot ask them for help because they’re really not committed. 

For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been studying Exodus 3-6, and one of the themes reoccurring is Moses’ unwillingness to fully commit to God’s call to lead in the liberation of Israel. At the burning bush he gave four excuses why he shouldn’t lead Israel (Ex. 3:11,13; 4:1, 10) and then one plea in desperation for God to look elsewhere for a “volun-told” (Ex. 3:13 [contrast to Is. 6:8]). On the road to Egypt, God comes to Moses to kill him because he has not circumcised his sons (Ex. 4:24-26).  While the story has generated much discussion as to its meaning, some scholars believe that Moses has not fully bought into his role to liberate Israel (i.e. if he’s not going to take the Covenant God made with Abraham seriously, why would he take his role as liberator seriously?). Then, in his first confrontation with Pharaoh, even though God warned Moses that Pharaoh will harden his heart, Moses is exasperated to discover the difficulty of his appointed task (Ex. 4:21-23; 5:22-23). 

Moses got off to a slow start before he was finally “all-in” for liberating Israel. The good news is that once Moses bought in, God did marvelous things through him. 

I wonder if the church, as a whole, has been satisfied with offering a contribution instead of being fully committed. From a contribution standpoint, attendance, the number of times someone shows up to the assembly, is the bare minimum found among congregants. Let someone else lead the prayer, read the Scripture, serve the tables, or more importantly, teach the class, cook the meal, visit the sick, etc.

In every make up of a church, you have those who are willing to offer a contribution and those fully committed. When the number of those committed are more than those willing to contribute, the church and her ministries function smoothly. However, when the number of those who simply offer a contribution outweigh the number of those committed, the church struggles to thrive or to sustain itself. So the next time you have a glass of milk, a scrambled egg or a ham sandwich, maybe you can ask yourself, “Am I committed, or just making a contribution?” 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

I sat and listened to a preacher share his insights into church, church systems and church growth.  His expertise was his own congregation experiencing tremendous growth during his tenure as the preacher.  Someone finally verbalized what I was thinking, “Why don’t you write a book about church growth?”  While he was willing to share his own experience and church story, he was reluctant to say his church’s growth can be simply duplicated for another church in another community.  I guess looking back on it, too variables were present to give someone a simple key to church growth. 

For the past forty years volumes have been written about church growth.  Like anything, it’s been a mixed bag of worth-while material versus throw-away junk, and sound biblical advice versus flawed man-driven opinion.  While the Bible says a lot about what kind of people the church must become, it doesn’t give three, five or ten principles to grow a church. 

In a context where the church was dividing over their favorite preacher, Paul tried to paint the larger picture for congregants.  A year earlier, Paul planted the seed of the gospel in Corinth and growth began sprouting.  A church was established.  But sometime after he left the city, Apollos came through the city and his preaching captivated a segment of the church.  Captivated may be an understatement for a group of people gravitating toward charisma; they became hard core loyalists and questioned the leadership of Paul (1 Cor. 3:4). 

I don’t believe any animosity existed between Paul and Apollos, and the conflict was generated by a church with a propensity to divide.  However, Paul’s approach was certainly not to undermine Apollos’ preaching, but to accentuate the bigger picture.  Sure Paul planted the seed of the Gospel in Corinth, and Apollos came in after him to water the seed, but God was responsible for the growth (1 Cor. 3:6).  To make sure his point was clear, he reiterated what he said, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Cor. 3:7).  Drawing from the agricultural imagery, the amazing and almost magical process of growth is less about who the farmer is or what he does, and more about the God who created a world for growth.  One might argue that the farmer could ruin his crop, but he can’t grow his crop. 

While church growth is always God-given, the growth may very well be predicated on numerous factors.  One is the willingness for the church to embrace growth.  Most people talk about wanting the church to grow, but the steps it takes to implement a culture of growth can be challenging at best.  Growth means change, and the difficulty for a church to change is even more challenging.  How a church relates to each other when they are less than a hundred is quite different from a church that is 400 members.  The decision-making made in smaller churches is a different process than the one in larger churches. 

Another factor is whether or not the church will embrace the community they are planted in, even more so if the community has experienced a demographic shift.  The issue was huge when I lived in Memphis (1990-93), and no doubt is still prevalent today.  Many communities were in the process of a racial demographic shift.  Some churches refused to make the shift, while others graciously explored the opportunity for growth.  Even still, some members of these churches sought other churches to avoid a racially mixed worship. 

A church that is growing is doing a lot to prep the soil and to plant the seed.  They nurture the seedling with water, sunlight and nutrients.  Ultimately, the results are up to God, because he’s the one who causes the growth.  Since he’s the one who causes the growth, maybe he should get the glory too. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)