I was reading George Barna's latest book (which I recommend highly) and he was citing statistics that characterize the American church today. Check this out...
- 8 out of 10 believers do not feel they have entered the presence of God or experienced a genuine connection with him in their last worship service. 5 out of 10 extend that period to the past year.
- 1 out of every 6 believers have a relationship that provides spiritual accountability
- Fewer than 1 out of 10 believers give 10% of their income. (so a tithe of church members tithe)
- At any given time, a majority of believers do not have a specific person in mind for whose salvation they are praying.
- The typical churched believer will die without leading one person to a saving knowledge of Jesus.
- When asked how they want to be known, fewer than 1 in 10 believers mentions a description that reflects their relationship with God.
Let me sum up. There are 77 million people in this country that identify themselves as born again Christians. Of those 77 million, about 10-20% actually put it into practice on a regular basis. Why is the church becoming so irrelevant?
Please don't think that I'm saying "Why can't church people be more like me?" because nothing could be further from the truth. I think we could probably do better with fewer people like me, but that's probably a whole other post. I think I trend toward the majority. When you read this next part, you'll probably think "Aha! That's his problem" In light of what I've heard over the last couple of days, you'll think this next sentence is ridiculous so just read it quickly and move on. As I was watching
The Sopranos, something was said that really speaks to this issue. Don't think I'm advocating watching Tony Soprano for spiritual guidance, I'm pretty sure it was one time deal. The gist is this...the wife is talking to the priest and she's confessing. She stops in mid-confession and tells the priest it's all a sham and her life is a lie. Then she starts over and her confession begins with "I've forsaken what is right for what is easy" Is it really just that simple and we try to couch it in spiritual terms? It's just easier to go through the motions than to be an actual disciple of Jesus. And we live in a society that is more than willing to grease the skids and let us slide along, not challenging our appearance of spirituality as long as we mind our business. I'm not blaming society for the way I am, I just saying that it's not in anybody's interest to make sure I'm genuine. So we go through our rituals and say and do all the right things and wonder what's happened. Would Jesus be affiliated with the Christians if he were on the scene today? Would we look like him at all? Or would Jesus look around and quote Isaiah 29:13 to us too? I'm pretty sure he would to me more often then I'd like to admit.
Prov 14:12, 16:25
Posts
1 comment:
Excellent book! Very thought provoking. Probably the most disturbing thought I can think of is how little influence today's church has on society. With all the effort we put into church programs and growth initiatives Hollywood has us beat by a long shot. Perhaps we have put so much faith in the local church to draw people into the kingdom that we have neglected the most powerful recruiting tool God has given us - our personal testimony. I don't know if the local church was ever intended to be the leading influence of society, but the church as the body of believers most certainly was. 'Salt of the earth', 'Light of the world', 'a city on a hill that can not be hidden'. What other institution can lay claim to these designations? By leaving the responsibility of soul winning to the local church we truly have abandoned what is right for what is easy. I can't think of the last time I shared my testimony with an unbeliever. I know I have invited a few to church. None of them have become believers that I know of.
One thing I have learned in business is that people are not loyal to contracts, superior service or even competitive pricing. They are loyal to relationships. Nothing has been more influencial in my business dealings than my relationships with my customers. Jesus had this figured out long ago. He was about the business of building relationships and tearing down institutions. Developing relationships is probably the hardest part of my job. It is easy to promote a new product or shoot a low ball quote to win the competition, but developing a relationship takes time, energy and sacrifice. As fast-paced as society has become these are hard things to give up. It is just easier to rely on an institution, a Sunday School teacher, a children's pastor, etc. Acccording to Barna this doesn't work. Imagine that. An institution built by man is inadequate to fulfill God's plan. Have we replaced the operater with a his machine; the builder with his tools?
Post a Comment