Today’s church killers are not that different from years ago.
I recently came across a powerful quote from an 18th-century English pastor
named Job Orton. Ironically, he wrote to the ministers of his day about doctrinal
compromise.
The struggles of churches nearly 300 years ago are the
struggles of churches today. Read what he says:
“I
have long since found (and every year that I live increases my conviction of
it), that when ministers entertain their people with lively and pretty things,
confine themselves to general harangues, insist principally on moral duties,
without enforcing them warmly and affectionately by evangelical motives; while
they neglect the peculiars of the gospel, never or seldom display the grace of
God, and the love of Christ in our redemption; the necessity of regeneration
and sanctification by a constant dependence on the Holy Spirit of God for
assistance and strength in the duties of the Christian life, their
congregations are in a wretched state; some are dwindling to nothing, as is the
case with several in this neighbourhood, where there are now not as many scores
as there were hundreds in their meeting-places, fifty years ago. …
There
is a fatal deadness spread over the congregation. They run in ‘the course of
this world,’ follow every fashionable folly, and family and personal godliness
seems in general to be lost among them. There is scarcely any appearance of
life and zeal.”
It seems that Satan was neutralizing local
churches 300 years ago in the same way he is today. Notice the
ways churches decline, according to Orton:
1. Create an Entertainment-Driven Ministry—Orton
writes “when ministers entertain their people with lively and pretty
things.” I’ve seen two extremes in entertainment-driven ministry. Both are
simply different manifestations of the same false assumptions and bad values.
The first bad model I saw was a contest-driven,
circus-style, promotion-based ministry model. It was a model that bribed people
to attend church, entertained them once they came, and attempted to “sneak up”
on them with the gospel. It worked to get people to church, but it was weak in
producing devoted disciples and rooted believers.
The second bad model I’ve seen is a concert-style,
party-atmosphere ministry complete with loud rock music, smoke machines, laser
lights and a lot of entertainment. Again, it works to get people to attend, but
it lulls them into nonparticipation, nonworship and lethargic, carnal
Christianity.
Both models fail because of two false assumptions. The
first false assumption is that Jesus and His Word are boring
and unattractive. The second false assumption is that people won’t
respond to simple, biblical love and grace. These methods attempt to DISGUISE
the gospel to “make it attractive.” The false assumption being, it’s not
attractive unless we disguise it! This is REALLY BAD theology! Entertainment-driven
ministry is a broken road.
2. Focus on “General Harangues”—Orton
mentions leaders who “confine themselves to general harangues.” This is a
church-family focused on debate and theological inspection over Spirit-led
obedience and unified practice. The Word of God is like a window, and some
people prefer to spend more time looking AT the window rather than looking
THROUGH the window. Paul wrote to Titus, “But avoid foolish questions, and
genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are
unprofitable and vain.” (Titus 3:9)
An honest Bible student is comfortable accepting God’s Word
where it is clear and where it is unclear. An
unhealthy church is content to “look AT the window”—to inspect and
debate foolish questions that generate strife and contention. A healthy church
is only content to practice what IS clear in God’s Word.
Unbelievers rarely come to these churches, and when they
do, they rarely come back. Focusing on pointless debates, personal disputes and
biblical conjecture is a broken road.
3. Teach Behaviorism Absent Love and Worship—Orton
writes “insist principally on moral duties, without enforcing them warmly and
affectionately by evangelical motives”—external duty without internal love as a
motive.
External conformity or performance-based acceptance
generates a church family that looks good but is not motivated by true love and
worship of Jesus. Enough badgering from the pulpit will manipulate many
Christians into a manmade mold. But eventually those same Christians become
disillusioned and hurt by man-centered leadership tactics. The only biblical,
viable, sustainable motivation for doing anything as a Christian is the pure
love of Jesus Christ. Being pushed into a set of standards, a weekly structure
or an outward appearance always leads to resentment of those who pushed or manipulated
me. That Christianity eventually falls apart. Being led
by the Spirit and motivated by love will produce a pure-hearted,
sustainable, joyful, nonoppressive Christian walk.
4. Neglect the Pure Gospel—Orton
writes “while they neglect the peculiars of the gospel.” The gospel of Jesus
Christ is not only how we are saved, it is also how we grow, how we live, how
we endure and how we enjoy our walk with Jesus. The more you study and examine
the gospel, the bigger it becomes. It’s inexhaustible.
Healthy
churches always keep the gospel front and center. Their
message is hopeful. They magnify Jesus. They preach Christ crucified. They
reveal Jesus to be more than a free ticket to Heaven, but in truth a Savior in
every aspect of life. If a church family KNOWS their unsaved guest will hear
the gospel and not just a “general harangue” on Sunday morning—they are EAGER,
EXCITED and HAPPY to invite their lost friends and family.
Something tells me that’s exactly what happened in the
books of Acts!
5. Neglect the Display of Love and Grace—Again
Orton says “never or seldom display the grace of God, and the love of Christ in
our redemption.” How do we miss this? How do churches become so “ungracious”
and “unloving”? How do churches melt down into factious, divisive communities
of self-focus? How do they become so inward and unwelcoming? They lost sight of
the massive volume of New Testament teaching on love, unity, forgiveness,
forbearance and grace toward others.
If your gospel message is clear but your dispositional
display of the gospel is carnal, you are doing the gospel a grave disservice.
Churches die because love and grace died in their midst. Ever more in a
darkened, hopeless secular America, a loving church stands in huge contrast to
anything else in culture.
6. Neglect a Strong Emphasis on Dependence Upon
the Holy Spirit—Orton goes on, “the necessity of regeneration
and sanctification by a constant dependence on the Holy Spirit of God for
assistance and strength in the duties of the Christian life.” Dying churches,
somewhere along the way, began to subtly and perhaps imperceptibly quench,
grieve or usurp the Holy Spirit of God. They took matters into their own hands.
How often a pastor is tempted to usurp the work of God’s Spirit—we
all want our church family to manifest spiritual maturity, so we attempt to
manufacture a quick conformity to outward appearances rather than patiently
allowing God’s Spirit to cultivate an internal, organic growth.
It’s easy to set up outward, measurable standards of
appearance and performance. We like to do this because it validates us, makes
us feel successful as Christians and leaders. Yet the outward conformity COULD
be merely a cover for the absence of inward dependence. Healthy churches emphasize
the gradual, growing work of God’s Spirit within the believer, over the work of
quick, manmade, external conformity.
Orton describes these six things as a “fatal deadness” that
spreads over the entire congregation. I think he was hitting the target—for the
1700s and for today! The local church of Jesus Christ is designed to flourish
with life, health and joy.
While dying or dead
churches are a dime a dozen; May God stir up a new generation of churches that
defy death and embrace the life and health that only His grace and His Spirit
can produce!
Source:
Cary Schmidt has served the Lord for 24 years and is the Senior Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church of Newington, CT. He is madly in love with his wife of 24 years, Dana, and together they have enjoyed raising their three children—Lance, Larry, and Haylee. Cary is a Christian, husband, and father; an undeserving pastor of a wonderful and growing church family; and an author of more than a dozen books. He who enjoys trying to encourage others in their spiritual growth. You can find his books at Amazon.com. You can connect with him at caryschmidt.com
