Sometimes churches coast. They rest on what they have accomplished and fail to continue to move forward. Each of us has an opinion as to whether Emmanuel has coasted or not since we completed the new building. I recently read an article by Chris Hefner for Lifeway with a plea to pastors. He commented that “some churches are not growing or reaching the community that surrounds them. And some churches are working diligently to fulfill their disciple-making mission. As a whole, it appears that the church is diminishing in North America.” The reasons for the decent are many…cultural changes, shifting views on absolute truth, church apathy, difficult church members, and a lack of evangelism are some of the reasons. Chris commented “Churches should grow, should pursue kingdom influence in their respective communities, should adapt as necessary, should fulfill their mission by making disciples. But many do not.” We need to see where we need to change…not the message…but the method. We should seek kingdom growth…by sharing the Gospel…by moving forward…by fulfilling our mission…by adapting as needed. Let’s not be comfortable coasting. Things are not bad…but they could be better…
Bro. David