The Decline of the Church - Is It Our Fault?

I have been doing a ton of musing over the decline of the church in recent years.  I have witnessed her decline in America for more years than I have been in the ministry – over a decade!  I have researched it by researching those who have studied it.  I have read all the polls, examined the books, read the papers, interviewed people myself, and I have often been confounded as to the bottom line of it all.  Theories abound.  There are theories ranging from the secularization of the church, to the over-programming of the church leaders.  Efforts to correct the decline range from style changes, programming changes, and methodology changes to the  Southern Baptist Convention’s recent study of a name change.  Yet, with all of that, the decline continues.  Why?

I think I may have found the answer – or at least part of it.  It is US!  Believers.  Leaders and congregants together seem to be missing something.  A few have found it, but it seems to be far too few.

The thing we are missing is Worship.  I believe that the key to revival is the key to evangelism; and this is worship.  We are not properly defining worship and so we are not giving the people a chance to worship properly.  I’m not the first to notice this, but it is a paradigm shift for me and my congregation.  There are several definitions of worship, all of which might be boiled down to the popular phrase: give worth to, or the “worth-ship” of someone.  Denominations and groups have held “solemn assemblies,” revivals, prayer vigils, evangelism efforts, and the like.  All have had some effect.  However, when our daily lives are given wholly to the Lord, our weekly services given to helping the believer to communicate how much Jesus is worth to them, then the whole worship experience makes room for the power of the Lord to fall upon the assembly!  This is a spectacle to behold!  It is an experience to be lived!  The believer will become an evangelist.  The lost will be confronted with the reality of Jesus in a personal way as they watch the moving of the Lord among His worshipping people!  The spiritual hunger that resides in the heart of Americans will be filled!

We have made our worship services too “media-driven” and programmed for the Lord to be in charge.  Rather, we have made the clock in charge.  We must do this, that, and the next thing quickly, professionally, and timely so the broadcast covers it all before its time is expired.  We must let our congregation out on time so the police can manage traffic when services end.  We have gotten so programmed that if the Lord wanted a 3 hour worship service full of testimony, praise, repentance, and prayer, we couldn’t do it.  We sing, play, and preach on time.  You almost never hear a testimony time of praise in a large church, and often enough, not in a small country church.  Our stomachs and crock-pot dinners await the noon hour.  We must leave the place.  We are there to receive rather than to give to the Lord the worth due His name. 

The more we worship in spirit and in truth, the more we look forward to worship times.  The more we worship in spirit and in truth, the more we invite others to join us.  The more we worship in spirit and truth, the more the lost will see the reality of our faith.  The more we worship in spirit and truth, the more we expect to experience during our corporate gatherings in Jesus’ name.  The more we worship in spirit and truth, the more prayer, revival, and evangelism we will see happening as a natural by-product of truly relating to the Lord in a personal way in public!  The church will regain her footing in our Christ-hungry nation if we, who are called by the Lord’s name, will seek His face, repent, and turn from our wicked ways – for the Lord will heal our land and hear our prayers (2Chronicles 7:14)!

Holler for Jesus,

Greg Yount

Check out my blogs:

Just-a-Thot - Devotional thoughts - http://justa-thot.blogspot.com

As I See It - Biblical perspectives on current events - http://asiseeit10.blogspot.com