Leaving Church in Droves

It looks like the 'church-growth' movement is the cause of major church shrinkage.

Comments

[Mr. Seeker-Sensitive Guy]

I was part of this movement in the late 80s at Willow Creek. For awhile it worked. The point was that your friends and loved ones would hear the gospel from you——you were the Church——and only after you were in relationship with a "seeker" did you invite them to your local church.

Then churches like Willow became phenomena in themselves, drawing people who were not invited by family or friends and who ultimately did not seek to establish those kinds of relationships through a small group or genuine faith community within the megachurch. Suddenly, these churches worked hard to leverage best-practice management and programming to ensure that such seekers would through some osmosis learn the spiritual disciplines necessary to Walk with God, live the Word, contribute to the work of the Church and ultimately impact the World.

Everything was supposed to center on God and your relationship with him, your reliance on Christ's work on the cross, and sharing that great news with others as you lived the life to which God called you.

Somewhere along the line the local megachurch as social phenomena replaced Jesus Christ as "the hope of the world" according to some pastors, and instead of drawing Christians closer to Christ and equipping them to go out into the world and be the Church, became big black holes that sucked in individuals and families into church-centric programs for redeeming the culture.

And that's how lives were "changed," not all for the better.

Instead of a way to life, church became a way of life. That's a big reason why those in the bleachers have decided not to round those bases of Membership, Maturity and Mission.

Nobody likes to run in circles.

[Steve Blackwell]

I'm not so sure that when we get to the root of the problem and strip away all of what we men, and women, think about, and write about the great "falling away" that we won't stand in awe of what has already been said.

Amos 8:11-13

"Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it."

"In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst."
NKJV

[ProdigalKnot]

Well said Steve!

These mega churches are simply detours away from learning the truth of God's Word. People get so caught up in this kind of belonging they eventually aren't even sure just what "it" is they belong to.

People must still be looking, for God is still waiting. Unfortunately, Satan is getting a lot of help preventing people from getting into the Kingdom!

[Joy]

Is it a must that a true believer belong to a 5-fold church?