What is Happening to The Lord’s Church?

Declining? What is Happening to The Lord’s Church?

Lately, I’ve been reading several articles and blogs on the declining state of the churches of Christ. Certainly, there is no denying that the statistical evidence shows that the total number of members of the Lord’s church in the United States of America has been declining steadily (by about one half of one percent per year) since the 1990’s. Towns that once had thriving congregations now have no church at all. Right here, in Hopkins County, the city of Dawson Springs once had a church that was capable of supporting a preacher, but now has no church of Christ, at all. This sort of thing is happening all over the country. What’s happening to the Lord’s Church?

Based on my own observations, it seems to me that there are many factors that are contributing to the numerical decline in the ranks of the Lord’s Church. For one thing, our society, as a whole, has changed its attitude toward religion in general. More and more Americans identify themselves as atheist or agnostic. Some have been made suspicious of religion by the high-profile scandals that have come to light, in recent years. Many have become so caught-up in materialism that they simply do not care about religion, as they once did. Take for example, the horrific events of September 11, 2001. On the Sunday following that tragic Tuesday, churches all over the country were braced for a massive influx of people who had not been coming regularly, but the numbers show that, while some churches saw an increase in attendance, many did not. In contrast with previous events, like the Cuban missile crisis in the early 1960s, the “bump” in church attendance was hardly noticeable and completely unsustained.

While there are none who would deny that our culture has changed, there are many who place the blame for declining membership in the Lord’s Church rests squarely on the shoulders of the church itself. They claim that the Lord’s Church has been slow to respond to the changing times, and that we must make some substantive changes of our own to keep up. The problem is that some are proposing changes that are counter to the Biblical model, which we are supposed to defend and uphold (Jude 3).

Some are arguing that the Lord’s Church should have open fellowship with denominational churches, which the Bible warns us not to do (Ephesians 5:11). Some say that we should open up leadership roles for women in the church, which the Bible again warns us not to do (1 Timothy 2:9-15). Some recommend that we should not insist upon a capella singing in worship services of the Lord’s Church, which the Bible insists upon (Ephesians 5:19). Some assert that we should stop talking so much about the essentiality of baptism in salvation, as does the Word of God (Mark 16:16). In fact, many are insisting that we place far too much emphasis upon the Bible, and that we need to stop quoting it so much, if we are going to connect with future generations. What do you think the Bible has to say about that (Colossians 3:17)?

Of course, the Lord’s Church can and should make changes that will help in the accomplishment of its mission. We need to learn how to use new technology to advance the cause of Christ. We need to avail ourselves of every opportunity we have to share the gospel with lost souls. We need to be more active in advocating what is right and opposing what is wrong. There are certain things that we, as the Lord’s Church, do have the liberty to change. But there are some things that we cannot and must not change. It is important for us to know the difference (Romans 14:23).

It seems to me that one of the biggest contributing factors to the decline in membership in the churches of Christ, the Lord’s Church, is that the church is no longer on the offensive when it comes to evangelism. When every member of the Lord’s Church learns to take the initiative, invite people to come to worship and study with them, talk to them about the fundamentals of faith, and show them the way that leads from Earth to Heaven, then our numbers may increase. For too long, we have focused our attention upon how to keep ourselves entertained, rather than how we may save lost souls. Salvation is the issue. If we will keep ourselves focused on lost souls, then we will spend more time in the Word of God, and we will remember and not forget the fundamentals of faith, because we will be teaching them to others.

What is happening to the Lord’s Church is nothing new (John 6:66-68). What we do about it may well determine what will become of the church in the future.