If you owned 100
McDonald's Franchise Restaurants and 90 of them were unprofitable,
you would most certainly seek correction of the factors producing
loss. You would do that immediately upon learning the Truth about the
bottom line.
If you had a cattle ranch
and you learned that you were losing $200 per head when taking the
cattle to market, you would either get out of that business, or,
discover ways to make your investment profitable.
The American Church –
not so much. There are some 350,000 – 400,000 Protestant churches
in the USA. 95% of them are NOT healthy. They limp along with
dysfunctions that they refuse to correct. Research says that 95% of
professing Christians NEVER share the Gospel
with anyone in an entire year. That is flagrant rebellion to the
person and command of Jesus who is LORD. Yet, these rebels (Hebrew
pasha, to rebel) are
regarded as 'members in good standing'. What?
The Southern Baptist
Convention, the largest Protestant Denomination in the USA, has been
on an unbroken 65 year decline when using numbers as the metric for
effectiveness. This is perhaps the heart of the problem.
Jesus is not impressed
with numbers. Not Attendance. Not Offerings. Not Baptisms. Not
Buildings. The New Testament Metric for effectiveness in ministry is
Transformation. Redeemed people systematically becoming more like
Jesus in character and conduct. Until this false Metric of Numbers
for ministry effectiveness is abandoned, nothing will change. If you
are not seeing God produce transformationthat is objective and
documented in the people you serve, you are not a church you are a
Social Club.
There is no 'Quick Fix'
for impotence in the American Church. It takes 48-60 months for a
church to go from cultural lethargy to biblical effectiveness. The
reason – revitalization requires changing the culture of a given
church. Culture controls. Such cultures are made up of long standing
traditions that have no basis in the New Testament. Churches
perpetuate 'programs' that will wear you out with activity but never
contribute to the disciple making process.
Conclusion –
Change or Die! If you as a leader permit the dysfunctional ministry
polity and practices currently producing decline and impotence to
continue, you are openly declaring that you endorse such tragic
hindrance to genuine ministry. Like Joshua said thousands of years
ago - ”Choose this day whom you will serve?” (Josh. 24:15).
