Ask Your Preacher - Archives
“Standing Out”
Categories: THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCHDo you have any ideas to share with me on how to attract more people to our church? Thank you.Sincerely,
Welcome Wagon
Dear Welcome Wagon,
The only trustworthy pattern for church growth is the one found in the Bible. There are ways that churches can grow very quickly… but in an unhealthy manner because they have left the Bible message in their fervor to fill the pews (Gal 1:6-7). On the other hand, many churches stagnate because they aren’t zealous about anything. The key is to be zealous about truth and the joy of salvation in Christ.
The apostles were unapologetic about their message of morality (Acts 20:27). The Bible message of Christ allowed first-century evangelists to reason and persuade people to obey the truth (Acts 17:2, Acts 24:25). The churches grew when everyone was equipped to share the good news of Jesus and give an answer for why they believed in God (1 Pet 3:15). Today’s modern churches are too often places of emotional zeal, but void of conviction and reason. How can we expect people to place membership in a church that is only another form of entertainment? When we remove conviction and morality from the Bible message, we dilute the message and the purpose of Christianity. Many churches are dying from the inside because of the gangrene of entertainment religion. We live in a world of “cafeteria theology” where what you believe is a matter of preference, not truth. Until we begin teaching that truth matters – all churches will continue to suffer decline.