WHY SOME CHURCHES ARE GROWING AND FLOURISHING

A member of one of my former congregations was sharing with me her love of the worship of her Episcopal Church with several hundred while her son was now worshiping at a nondenominational megachurch with 8,000 members. It caused me to reflect on the reasons why churches are growing and others declining. It is no secret that the liberal mainline denominations are losing members, especially of the younger generation, to the conservative, biblical, independent churches. They are attracted to the contemporary music, the laid back casual style, the appeal to all classes of people, the amenities for all ages, the provision of facilities, staff and volunteers for ministry to families and outreach to needy members of the community. There is an emphasis on building relationships with others to foster fellowship while at the same time allowing people to remain anonymous if they so choose. Above all the messages are designed to address the needs of every stage of life. Unlike the preachers who tend to communicate their own ideas, opinions and an academic approach to Christianity and the Bible, the megachurch preachers try to be personal and relevant to their listeners. They do not rely only on verbal messages but use multi-media to communicate so that attention is maintained throughout. I am reminded on what John Stott wrote about preaching.

“It requires entering into the worlds of thought and feeling of our contemporaries. It is incarnational, the eternal entering into the temporal, relating the Word to the world, or Christ to the individual. It means dealing with the major themes of human life, the questions raised in literature and history: What is the purpose of our existence? Has life any significance? Where did I come from, and where am I going to? What does it mean to be a human being, and how do humans differ from animals? Whence this thirst for transcendence, this universal quest for a Reality above and beyond us, this need to fall down and worship the Infinitely Great? What is freedom, and how can we experience personal liberation? Why the painful tension between what I am and what I long to be? Is there a way to be rid of guilt and of a guilty conscience? What about the hunger for love, sexual fulfilment, marriage, family life and community on the one hand, and on the other the pervasive sense of alienation, and the base, destructive passions of jealousy, malice, hate, lust and revenge? Is it possible to truly master oneself and love one’s neighbor? Is there any light on the dark mysteries of evil and suffering? How can we find courage to face first life, then death, then what may lie beyond death? What hope can sustain us in the midst of our despair?

If we believe that the gospel of Christ is the answer to these questions then we must preach Christ. This is the contemporary Christ. To encounter Christ is to touch reality and experience transcendence. He gives us a sense of self-worth or personal significance, because he assures us of God’s love for us. He sets us free from guilt because he died for us, from the prison of our self-centeredness by the power of his resurrection, and from paralyzing fear because he reigns, all the principalities and powers of evil having been put under his feet. He gives meaning to marriage and home, work and leisure, personhood and citizenship. He introduces us into his new community, the new humanity he is creating. He challenges us to go out into some segment of the world which does not acknowledge him, there to give ourselves to witness and service for him. He promises us that history is neither meaningless nor endless, for one day he will return to terminate it, to destroy death and to usher in the new universe of righteousness and peace. ‘In him (Christ) the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness of life in him.’ (Col.2:9,10) One of the most fascinating of all the preacher’s tasks is to explore both the emptiness of fallen man and the fullness of Jesus Christ, in order then to demonstrate how he can fill our emptiness, lighten our darkness, enrich our poverty, and bring our human aspirations to fulfillment. The riches of Christ are unfathomable. (Eph.3:8, NEB)”

(Ted Schroder, JOHN STOTT, A SUMMARY OF HIS TEACHING, pp.79,80)

In other words, what is the application of the Gospel to our needs. Biblical exegesis is not enough. Dry commentary that drones on does not cut it in our culture. There is too much competition from social media, online sources and television to engage us. We must have vibrant communication that is relevant to our struggles and everyday challenges of life. Jesus met people where they were. He spoke to them, healed them, delivered them from their fears and gave them the courage to face their unknown future. He gave them the power of the Spirit to sustain them. That is what we need today.