KENT'S PERSPECTIVE
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Eight Signs of Spiritually Dead Churches
...and Six Signs of Resurrection (condensed from an article by Bill Easum from ChurchCentral.com)
Bill has spent much of the past three decades promoting seminars and programs aimed at church revitalization. Yet, he states in this article..."after years of trying to revitalize these churches, the vast majority of them are still declining." Thom Rainer says that roughly 62 % of S.B.C. churches are in decline. Easum says that "reformation, renewal and revitalization assume some preexisting foundation of faith from which to raise up a new church." He goes on to ask, "But what if that assumption isn't correct? What if the assumption is a part of the problem? What if being a member of a church for 40 years doesn't automatically guarantee any spiritual depth? What if holding every office in the church doesn't automatically mean someone is a disciple (follower) of Jesus Christ?" Easum continues, "based on the conversations and actions of the thousands of Protestant leaders with whom I worked over these years, I have concluded that most of them are spiritually dead and their institutions have ceased being the church. They have the form but not the substance of what it means to be the church." Easum defines spiritually dead churches as follows: "If your church spends most of its energy on itself and its members." He continues, "Such churches are living corpses. They are physically alive; some may even be growing; but they are spiritually dead to the mission of the New Testament church - to make disciples (followers) of Jesus Christ."
Here are his 8 death clues. Spiritually dead churches:
1. Have lost their sense of mission to those who have not heard about Jesus Christ and do not pant after the Great Commission;
2. Exist primarily to provide fellowship for the 'members of the club (church);'
3. Expect their pastors to focus primarily on ministering to the members' personal spiritual needs;
4. Design ministry to meet the needs of their members;
5. Have no idea about the needs of the 'stranger outside the gates;'
6. Are focused more on the past than the future;
7. Often experience major forms of conflict;
8. And watch the bottom line of the financial statement more than the number of confessions of faith.
Resurrection
Easum continues, "The starting point for unfreezing a stuck organizational system is the development of a solid community of faith and includes spiritual leaders, the absence of major conflict, trust and a desire to connect with the unchurched world....It is not just that our churches are stuck; they are spiritually bankrupt....there is no discernible spiritual power, just good Christian people...."
He summarizes, "The only solution for spiritually dead congregations is resurrection. You can't revitalize something that is dead. They must be brought to life again! And that is resurrection."
3 Stages of Resurrection
1. It usually begins with a new pastor;
2. The resurrection of the leaders through transformation or change of leadership; and
3. The church is resurrected and turned around through some tactical change.
6 Signs of Resurrection
If resurrection happens, our behavior changes:
1. The church turns outward in its focus;
2. Jesus, not the institution, will become the object of our affection;
3. The Great Commission will become our mandate, and we will measure everything we do by how many new converts we make, rather than whether we have a black bottom line;
4. Membership in the Kingdom will replace membership in the church;
5. Pastors will cease being chaplains of pastoral care and will become modern-day apostles of Jesus Christ (Kent's words, "missionaries of Jesus Christ"/not apostles in the authoritative sense);
6. And those (pastors) who try to control the church with an iron fist or intimidate the church at every turn of the road will be shown the door.
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What Makes 'a church' A CHURCH?
- A Message by Kent Shirley
Introduction
A. Is it the word 'church' in a name that makes 'a church' A CHURCH? NO! (example: The LDS use the word 'church' in their name, but their doctrine and practice is far from the Biblical teaching with respect to A CHURCH).
B. Is it the 'heritage' or 'denomination' of a church that makes it A CHURCH? Does the word 'Baptist' or 'Methodist' in a name make 'a church' A CHURCH? NO! (example: The true Biblical teaching with respect to A CHURCH has nothing to do with denominational affiliation any more than putting a Ferrari emblem on the hood of my Pontiac will make my car a Ferrari).
C. Is it longevity of 'a church' that makes it A CHURCH? Does the number of anniversaries that 'a church' celebrates make it A CHURCH? NO! (example: The RCC has been around for centuries, but doctrinally it fails the New Testament test of A CHURCH).
D. Is correctness of doctrine alone enough to make 'a church' A CHURCH in the New Testament sense of the word? NO! Although doctrine must be Biblical for 'a church' to be A CHURCH, doctrine alone without Biblical function is insufficient for 'a church' to be A CHURCH! (example:A recent study of evangelical churches in the USA revealed that over 80% are in a state of decline or plateau. Many SBC churches have not baptized anyone in years! Thom Rainer of LifeWay reported that 62% of SBC churches are in rapid decline. These disturbing facts reflect problems with unbiblical Function rather than false doctrine).
E. In addition to correct Biblical doctrine the essential element in the DNA of 'a church' that makes it A CHURCH is found in the FUNCTION of A CHURCH! It is what 'a church' does that makes it A CHURCH according to the book of Acts!
What Are the Primary Functions of A CHURCH found in the early chapters of the book of Acts?
1. A CHURCH boldly proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:14-36, Acts 3:11-26, Acts 5:42)
2. A CHURCH is continuously devoting itself to the teaching of God's Word. (Acts 2:42a, 5:42)
3. A CHURCH is a community (fellowship) of like minded Believers in Jesus devoted to one another in Him. (Acts 2:42b, 46)
4. A CHURCH regularly remembers the Lord through the breaking of bread. (Acts 2:42c)
5. A CHURCH continually devotes itself to prayer. (Acts 1:14, 2:42d, 3:1)
6. A CHURCH continues in joyful praise & worship of God. (Acts 2:46 & 27)
7. A CHURCH consistently & boldly shares its faith. (Acts 4:13, 29, 31 & 14:3)
8. A CHURCH obeys God rather than men. (Acts 5:29)
9. A CHURCH is a partner in starting new churches. (Acts 13:1-3, 14:19-23)
CONCLUSION: 'a church' is A CHURCH when it consistently functions as A CHURCH according to the New Testament! The essential element found in the DNA of A CHURCH is found in its FUNCTION! The crucial question is "Does 'a church' function as A CHURCH???"
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