| A subtle drift is taking place in our culture and the | | | | Where has the power gone? Where is the |
| institutional church today. | | | | transformation of broken and unreached peoples' |
| My friend, the late Dr. Richard C Halverson former U.S | | | | lives? Where is the church in the Monday world? |
| Senate Chaplain, said, "Christianity began in Palestine | | | | Where is the commitment to participate beyond being |
| as a relationship, moved to Greece and became a | | | | a spectator? Is our focus filling our institutional "salt |
| philosophy, to Rome and became an institution, and | | | | shakers" or pouring it out where it is needed in our |
| then to America where it too often has become an | | | | marketplaces and neighborhoods. |
| enterprise." | | | | Frank Scully noted, "Why not go out on a limb? Is that |
| A predominance of energy and resources go into | | | | not where the fruit is?" We are more occupied with |
| institutional church programs, buildings and associated | | | | getting people in rather than going out to reach them |
| promotions that gratify our needs. The emphasis is | | | | where they are. Where the fruit is, there is the harvest. |
| often on MORE and BIGGER-the obsessions of our | | | | That is where our mandate is and where our budget |
| culture. Where are the prophets and voices that would | | | | and resources should be. God forbid that we should be |
| call us back to commit our resources to meeting the | | | | found guilty of consuming the majority of our |
| needs of the broken and unreached in our "Monday | | | | resources on ourselves at the expense of the |
| world" marketplaces and neighborhoods? | | | | unreached. David McCasland said, "What we do, more |
| A look at most any church budget is an indictment on | | | | than what we say, reveals what we value most." |
| the church today. Whenever 51% ownership is | | | | A church dropout asked me, "When was the last time |
| achieved in the corporate world we call it the | | | | going to church resulted in an observed change of |
| "controlling interest." Where do you find a church | | | | behavior? There is no accountability to measure it |
| whose controlling interest is 51% or more for reaching | | | | even if it did." The thought occurred to me that this is a |
| people outside the church? What is the mission of the | | | | question that pastors and lay leaders should be asking |
| church? Is it not to equip the saints for work of the | | | | their churches. The measure of the church is not just |
| ministry? We have subtly substituted ministry to | | | | what kind of growth, it is more the measure of our |
| ourselves in place of the poor, the unchurched and the | | | | fulfilling the Biblical mandates -The First Command |
| unreached. When I find a Bible believing church whose | | | | (loving God and our neighbor) and The Great |
| mission budget is 51% or more, that church I will | | | | Commission (Good News to the world). Choice, not |
| applaud. I often wonder what the Judgment will reveal | | | | chance, determines our and the church's destiny and |
| when this issue surfaces in the final review. | | | | accountability. By default we can continue the drift or |
| We are seeing across America and Europe a growing | | | | by choice we can be purpose led (not driven) in His |
| institutional church dropout rate. Compare the survey | | | | mission with His supernatural power and grace |
| trends and polls of church attendance vs those who | | | | anyplace. Alignment with our designed purpose brings |
| claim to be true followers of Christ. Are the dropouts | | | | multiplied blessing. |
| fed up with church as an enterprise to entertain us and | | | | Be encouraged in the right choice and discover a |
| make us feel comfortable with business as usual? Are | | | | renewed outlook! Look behind you and THANK HIM! |
| these dropouts not asking, "If you could take God out | | | | Look ahead of you and TRUST HIM! Look around you |
| of all that is going on in His name, wouldn't most of it | | | | and SERVE HIM! Look above you for HE IS COMING |
| and its activities and programs keep right on going on?" | | | | SOON! |