Riddle Me This
So, want to hear some stats? (You really don’t.)
- Question: How many churches have grown into the thousands since 1990? Answer: Tons of them. (For instance, from 2000 to 2005 the number of churches with attendance over 5,000 doubled).
- Question: How many churches have started in America since 1990? Answer: Tons of them. (Approximately 30,000)
So riddle me this: If, since 1990, hundreds of churches have blasted into the thousands (some into the tens of thousands), and about 30,000 new churches have been started (many of them growing into the thousands) … how is it possible that there are less people going to church now than in 1990 in every single county in the United States? And how is it possible that the number of people going to church is down by about 8 million). Answer that one Batman!
Here’s what I think: Our churches aren’t reaching “unchurched” people. If we were bringing in people who weren’t going to church the numbers couldn’t look like this. Seriously – think about it – there are hundreds of thousands of people now attending churches they weren’t attending twenty years ago (many in churches that didn’t even exist) and yet 8 million less people are in church.
Our churches are almost exclusively reaching people from other churches. And that has to change. Excited to talk about it today at the National Outreach Convention.
Suppose we just admitted:
–We don’t really have any power
–we don’t really pray
–we don’t live like Christ, really
Maybe that explains why the lost are still lost.
I concur with Abandoned. When you look at the lives of those who have had a monster impact over the years/ centuries – each and everyone of them were Monster Prayer Warriors. Demons tread in fear as these folks walked into rooms. They understood their frail and weak human state and they knew the source that could provide the power intimately. Folks like Spurgeon, Moody, Tozer, Wesley, Campbell, Graham – all men of prayer.
In the intro to A.W. Tozer’s book “The Pursuit of God” it talks of hours on his face before a Holy God in prayer. Hours! Not minutes; not seconds; Hours! This is our greatest failing – we are not tapped into the power source of Romans 8:11!
Just my humble take on this.
IHL,
Richie
p.s. Good stuff thus far bro! Keep it coming!
i think back on brother lawrence and practicing the presence of god…we fail to see god in the ordinary.
then we live like he is not there and our witness/mission is void of god as we walk on daily basis.
we spur up for corporate missions but fail in the ordinary.
I hope I can make my thoughts clear. Really, I’m not sure most people in church really want to live like Christ. They want church, and that’s what we’ve given them. Bigger, fancier, more accomodating. We’ve given them a Super Walmart church just so we can get them in the door. We’ve too often neglected to teach/lead people to follow Christ – which would lead to touching and reaching the lost. In my opinion we have created a cultural Christianity in America that is not always Biblical, but it helps people feel like they are O.k. with God. I think sometimes in America the blessing has become the curse! Just thinking out loud. Hope it made sense. BK
I totally agree with you BK. It’s tough to live like Christ…counter-culturally in the midst of culture…devoted to radical acceptance and love. One reason the church lacks power and witness is because it has accomodated the mission of God to the consumeristic Western machine…and now it doesn’t know the difference. I’m speaking to myself here as well. When our actions match our words, we won’t need our words as much.
Great Comments from all! I love BK’s stuff especially! Thanks for sharing!
After discussing my thoughts with my brother in law; really what I was trying to convey was “Intentionality” – we must yearn to know and be with him. It should consume us and if it does not that sets us up for failure such as we see.
IHL,
Richie
Wow these comments are as powerful as the post.
Bk said “I’m not sure most people in church really want to live like Christ. Amen to that.
There are so many that want to be a part of the church, but have little desire to be close to Christ. Is it possible that the “church” is filled with well intentioned people who either, don’t see that we are failing the great commission, or just don’t care?
We have followed the church mold and examples of those in it, instead of following Christ’s lead.
Richie said it well, This is our greatest failing – we are not tapped into the power source of Romans 8:11!
i am sorry, but when i read these comments….all i hear is “whah whah whah”— it sounds like a bunch of sobbing about how Americans love Jesus and hate church and every other pop church book title out there. dont get me wrong, i %100 agree with everything said, only because its true. no where in these posts did i feel anyone saying, “dammit, lets do something about this crap” (censored for more sensitive bloggers)…. this post infuriates me, you know why? because we are freaking losing the battle. Christianity is losing. its so easy to sit back and point at all the why’s and the who’s…but really…the fingers should all point back at us because its our fault. as God’s liaisons….we suck.
“And the truth shall set us free…” While I think Justin’s strong words true, I also think they are a bit harsh too. While no one came directly out and said what we need to do to “fix this crap,” I think the ideas are all over the blog and the comments. Richie mentioned about prayer warriors, Michael spoke about practicing the presence…
I believe that the only power that we feeble humans have, IS the power of prayer. To reference “Red Moon Rising” by Peter Greig and Dave Roberts, the prayer room concept that swept Europe is just begging for rebirth here in the states. We need to encounter God in prayer
…lots of prayer. It wouldn’t hurt to brainstorm outreach ideas together too. We should be building each other up to reach out. The only way to put fresh, “lost” or “seeking” butts in the seats is to get off our own butts and reach out to our communities. Take a walk downtown at night and meet people. Share your life with more than your recliner and TV.
I’m calling out anyone who has read the great commission…myself included. The way to reach out is thru God centered PRAYER and OUTREACH.
Genuine Outreach projects of radical love.
Vince, I’m patiently waiting for your next post. I love it.
docmikeyd
Vince, we suck, and I hope to recover from sucking. I kind of feel like this is an AA meeting, and admitting the problem is the first step.
O.K. Justin, what are you doing about it?
We seem to get the crap beat out of us when we point out the fact that there is a problem. What are you doing?
Congrats on the baby boy.
Scott, the church does admit their is a problem. But they do not care enough to face the truth that each of us are part of the deal to fix it. In the “church” (little c)we are comfortable. As the “Church” (big C)we are more than a building to gather in. We are mobile in the world and showing the world who Jesus is and Jesus is not the church (little c) he is in the Church (big c) the Body of Christ living in obedience to the Great Commission.