It is funny the more churches talk church change and growing the church, the more we see churches getting upset about what they may lose or have to give up doing. What has to happen is that churches need to get to a place where we are thinking out of the box and not so focused on ourselves and our personal wants but at the needs of others. I love in Matthew 9:35-38 where Jesus has this amazing compassion towards others and then immediately asks to send out workers. Here is what it says:
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Jesus saw that a change was needed and that the lives of people were at stake in this. He knew that in order to see His Kingdom happen and for the numbers of those coming to a real faith in Him, that He had to do something now.
So what are some things hinder change and growth? Here is a list of a few:
- Members don’t invite
- Church people are unfriendly
- Church has issues with stakeholders where they seem to own or run everything.
- Leaders are apprehensive
- We do what we have always done.
- More program oriented than relational oriented
- Fear it will kill the closeness or fellowship of those coming now
- Too much legalism
- One service
- Afraid of rejection in the outside world
- Church membership doesn’t reflect the community surrounding the church
- Lack of faith
- Thinking that growth is not that important or a goal of the church
- Motives are not Christ driven
- No fasting or prayer focus in the church (Ideas from many different resources)
These are just a few things that I have learned over the years. Are they all easy to change…..NO of course not. But the key is we have to start trying. We have to start thinking about the lives that are at stake in this. If we are not going to reach people then who will? Pretty scary….Let’s make some changes starting today! Let’s begin to “Rethink Church.”
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