A Great Harvest Waiting
What is the future of our church? Many congregations ask themselves this question with their fingers crossed. Our communities are changing constantly around us and our churches are called to respond to those changes with the unchanging Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Our churches had better begin to make disciples in the communities around them, or risk becoming obsolete museums of the days gone by.
Rev. Mark Joeckel from LINC Dallas says “The vital signs look grim...10 churches in America close each day and just 3 start; Mormonism eclipsed the ELCA to move into the top five of largest denominations with 5.2 million members, and not a single county in the US has more Christians today than 10 years ago (ARN). In a nutshell - the church is in the midst of a downward spiral and it may not bounce back. Worship attendance has declined by 20% over the last 20 years and just 1/10 of all congregations worship over 250 people each week. (Barna) Projections indicate 50% less people will be in worship in 2030 than today (that does not factor population increase) and 70% of all Protestant Churches will close by 2050!”
What is happening in our churches to produce this trend, or better yet, what is not happening? I believe that our church is asleep to its true mission in the city, which is to make disciples of the whole city. What are our congregations passionate about today? Where is the unifying vision for the conversion of the whole city? May I so humbly submit that God is beginning to make known to the church this purpose and vision that we so desperately need to discover? I believe that we are not far from the day when the Lutheran church in the Houston area no longer asks itself “what will this new ministry cost us?” The new question will be, “what price will be paid if we don’t begin new ministries to the community?”
A recent study of NEW churches showed a 240% increase in growth. The majority of churches experiencing growth over the last 10 years by conversion were new plants. (LB Study of New Plants) What does this mean? The church must move away from internal conflict, territorial politics and maintenance ministry toward an aggressive, offensive, prayerful movement of planting churches just as was done when the first church was planted outside of Jerusalem in Antioch. We can no longer see only dollar signs when thinking about cross-cultural and urban missions. For every Hispanic that dies in the U.S. 12 persons take their place. For every Asian that dies in the U.S., 20 persons take their place. It is not too long from now that Houston’s majority race will be Hispanic.
Only God can do such great a miracle as is needed for our church to begin to make disciples on such a large scale. Only God can empower our area church to partner together in a common mission to reach all nations for Jesus Christ.
Rev. Mark Joeckel from LINC Dallas says “The vital signs look grim...10 churches in America close each day and just 3 start; Mormonism eclipsed the ELCA to move into the top five of largest denominations with 5.2 million members, and not a single county in the US has more Christians today than 10 years ago (ARN). In a nutshell - the church is in the midst of a downward spiral and it may not bounce back. Worship attendance has declined by 20% over the last 20 years and just 1/10 of all congregations worship over 250 people each week. (Barna) Projections indicate 50% less people will be in worship in 2030 than today (that does not factor population increase) and 70% of all Protestant Churches will close by 2050!”
What is happening in our churches to produce this trend, or better yet, what is not happening? I believe that our church is asleep to its true mission in the city, which is to make disciples of the whole city. What are our congregations passionate about today? Where is the unifying vision for the conversion of the whole city? May I so humbly submit that God is beginning to make known to the church this purpose and vision that we so desperately need to discover? I believe that we are not far from the day when the Lutheran church in the Houston area no longer asks itself “what will this new ministry cost us?” The new question will be, “what price will be paid if we don’t begin new ministries to the community?”
A recent study of NEW churches showed a 240% increase in growth. The majority of churches experiencing growth over the last 10 years by conversion were new plants. (LB Study of New Plants) What does this mean? The church must move away from internal conflict, territorial politics and maintenance ministry toward an aggressive, offensive, prayerful movement of planting churches just as was done when the first church was planted outside of Jerusalem in Antioch. We can no longer see only dollar signs when thinking about cross-cultural and urban missions. For every Hispanic that dies in the U.S. 12 persons take their place. For every Asian that dies in the U.S., 20 persons take their place. It is not too long from now that Houston’s majority race will be Hispanic.
Only God can do such great a miracle as is needed for our church to begin to make disciples on such a large scale. Only God can empower our area church to partner together in a common mission to reach all nations for Jesus Christ.
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