The Church “Crisis” and What We Can Do About It: Part 1

Pastor Jason Thornton 

January 2017

For the last fifty years or more church membership and attendance have been in decline all over the western world, and Christians in Europe and the United States have been worried.  There are countless books and theories about why the church is in decline.  When people are asked why they don’t come to church, the standard answers are “Church is boring”, “Church is irrelevant to my life”, “Christians are too judgmental,” etc. etc.

Theories about how to reverse the decline over the last few decades have tried to address these complaints, and have included attempts to 1) make church more exciting by changing worship music to more contemporary styles, adding rock and roll bands, and adding dynamic multimedia displays; 2) making church more relevant by preaching less about the Bible and more about practical solutions to our everyday problems, or conversely, preaching more about sin and hell to underscore the consequence of not following Jesus; and 3) make church less “judgmental” by lowering the requirements for membership.  And still, despite these changes, churches continue to decline.  Epworth has experienced it.  Even the Southern Baptist convention, which seemed almost impervious to decline for so long, has seen falling numbers over the last decade.  Why?

Frankly, I think we’ve been asking the wrong questions of the wrong people.  Instead of asking non-church goers why they do not come to church, I believe we need to be asking church goers why they do come to church, and why they stay.  I began doing this a few years ago and here is what I have found 1) People first come to church because they are invited by someone; 2) People keep coming to church to encounter God in worship, to hear the Good News, to be forgiven, to have their burdens relieved, to be encouraged, to gain strength, to learn more about God through Bible study (I could go on – but you get the idea); 3) People stay in church through good and bad times because they feel welcomed and they feel they are a valued contributing member of the community. 

What this tells us is that the key to building the church is building relationships.  In order for me to invite someone to church and have them come, they have to know me first, and trust that I want them to come to church because I am their friend and want to spend time with them.  People experience God in worship, feel forgiven, are encouraged etc., when they begin to understand how God is already in an active relationship with them - wooing them to participate in their relationship; how the Bible IS relevant to their lives; how – in the words of a popular Jeremy Camp song – “The same Spirit that rose Jesus from the grave lives in us!”  People feel welcomed and valued when they are heard and loved.  In other words – actively building relationships with non-church goers, God, and our church family is what builds the church.  I think Jesus summed this up the best: Love God with all your heart, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.  Love is what builds the kingdom of God.

Over the next few months I will be writing about how we can build our church through building relationships. 

May God’s Grace and Love fill your hearts and homes this New Year. 

In Christ's Love, Jason