jUST THINKING ON THIS FRIDAY MORNING, JULY 8, 2011

THE DEATH OF THE LOCAL CHURCH

In both the churches I have pastored I would class them both small and both of them were proud of no change and the fact they were small.

The first church I pastored would seat 185 to 250. When I went to the first church I was voted in by 100% of the 32 adult members. During my tenure of five years we averaged 75 – 85 on Sunday. This church had not had much success in the growth department. The church members were satisfied being a small church and did not welcome new members. They had a church board that had self-appointed themselves to control the pastor and they would kill every program that was started. This church did not have a reputation of running their pastors off, but they had a reputation of controlling and also of not accepting outsiders. They loved to see their church as it was slowly on a slow road of death and decline.

The second church has a seating capacity of 300 to 350 when I first got to this church I was voted in by 87% of 82 adult members. During the tenure of seven years we have averaged 105 – 120 on Sunday. This church also like the first one I pastored has not had much success in the growth department. The church members are satisfied with being a small church and they do not welcome outsiders. They have a church board, that has over the years taken control and they kill every program that is started. This local church has a very terrible reputation in the area. They have a reputation for terrible business meetings, bad tempers and gossiping about everyone. This church also eats pastors and pastor’s wives. The average pastorate term for this church for the first seven pastors was about three years. The last three of us have had a lengthier tenure. But even these three have had to literally fight for everything that has been accomplished. These three have had a struggle to just keep the church alive these past few years.

This second church had just gone through a very tough time of struggles that caused the pastor to leave. They had fired so many pastors since they had formed this little church. Now one thing they had going for them was the last two pastors had been with them for a longer period of time. One pastor had been here for over seventeen years and suddenly and unexpectedly died. The pastor that followed him stayed for eight years, but after he was here for about six years the people who had placed themselves in positions of control were doing everything they could to make him leave. He was not fired, but chose to leave when things begin to affect his wife and children.

This second church that I now pastor has changed very little for 35 to 40 years. This local church continually goes up in down in number, but when the shaking takes place, the same groups and families are still seated on the pews. They now have become so stiff-necked and controlling that they really cannot be changed or moved. This church has been declining since it’s peak in 1983 and the average age of the congregation is over 60 years of age. This church is bearing no fruit and they are dying a very slow death. The only “hope” they seem to have is the money from the pastor’s percentages from his pay account. This keeps them with money enough to pay their monthly bills. They were in a financial deficit when I came to this second church. In fact I gave them my first two weeks of pay from the pastor’s account to help them out of the deficit. The money from the pastor’s pay account is not really any hope at all…it is a life support that is basically breathing for them. It is almost like they have forgotten that Jesus did not say, “I came to give them life through a life-support system.” When our local church finds security in anything other than Jesus Christ, we have started the process of sticking our heads in the sand and dying a slow spiritual death.

Mark 11:12-19 tells the story of Jesus cursing a fig tree for not bearing fruit then immediately driving the money changers and merchants out of the temple. Both of these images are powerful reminders of God’s views of the local church:
1. God hates it when the church does not bear evangelistic fruit.
2. The local church does not exist for our own personal benefit.

All too often local churches becomes inward, focusing on their own needs, desires, hopes, and preferences. When this happens to a local church they have become like the money – changers in the temple, they have made the church about themselves and no longer all about Jesus. The tragic result of this is a church that bears less and less fruit. I have seen so many churches like this when I evangelized, now I have personally pastored two of these type churches, this saddens me and it makes me weep.
Why do we as Pentecostals let our churches get into this shape? What sends our local churches down this road to its death? I believe it’s because we miss the passage of Scripture that follows this story. The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it was withered from the roots. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Teacher! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I assure you that you can say to this mountain, `May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,’ and your command will be obeyed. All that’s required is that you really believe and do not doubt in your heart. ~Mark 11:20-23 (NLT)

Somewhere along the way you stopped believing in a mountain-moving God because:

A pastor (or pastors) hurt you, so you don’t believe God can bring a pastor into your local church, who has integrity and anointing?

A small group of people in the church did not meet your expectations or treated you in an ill fashion, so you now believe God has failed and mistreated you.

The people you invited to church came but did not receive the Holy Ghost and they did not continue to attend with you, so you no longer believe that the Lord can use you to reach the lost.

You tithe and give in the offering but you have still suffered a tragedy in your life, so you stopped believing that God can or will bless your obedience.

After we as a local church have stopped believing in a mountain-moving God:

We begin to establish more policies and put together more committees that help the church steer clear of any painful change.

We have gotten ourselves stuck in our favorite methods and ways to “do” church so we now feel safe and secure as we make ourselves feel good. (We call this sticking to the old paths.)

We have become so accustom to criticizing our leadership for simply suggesting the making of any changes.

We chose to be suspicious of our leaders rather than trusting. We then manipulate and control the church.

We now have shied away from making any difficult decisions.

We have actually begun to believe that the local church is simply all about us, it is here for us and no one else.

We now call this local church our church, my church or our little family church and we are happy to keep it that way.

Please remember that Jesus never promised us that mountain moving would be easy or painless. He did not say that it would require no risk. He did not tell us that mountain moving required action on God’s part, but none on ours. He said, “Have faith.” Jesus’ brother, James, asks us pointedly, “what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions?” (James 2:14 NLT).

In order for our local church to be blessed and bear fruit we must stop focusing on ourselves. Stop making our local church about our feelings, our needs, our desires and our wants. Let us instead focus on those who do not know the truth about the fullness of Jesus Christ while at the same time focusing our attention on the amazing power of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us believe that our local church can be amazing and powerful in these communities! Let us be confident that our local church will witness mountain-moving miracles in our midst. Let us choose to believe that God can and will do the impossible for us. Let us choose to believe it and act accordingly. May our actions in this local church portray the faith in our hearts!