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SHRINKING
CHURCHES According to this month’s issue of the newspaper, “The
Christian Chronicle,” churches are shrinking.
The Baptist church is shrinking.
So are the Lutherans. So are the
Episcopalians and Methodists and Presbyterians.
And, guess what, so are churches of Christ: In
the newly released directory, 21st Century Christian identifies
12,629 a cappella Churches of Christ with 1,578,281 adherents nationwide. Those
figures represent 526 fewer churches and 78,436 fewer people in the pews than
just six years ago. And, to be even more specific, our congregation is also
shrinking. Recently Doug Douthitt, one
of our deacons, showed me numbers that reveal that each year since 2,000, the
average Sunday morning worship attendance has shrunk:
So, what are some things we can do to stop this trend? 1.
Hold on to those we have One thing we can do (and perhaps the easiest thing to do)
is to make sure we don’t loose anymore.
And in my opinion, a key to doing that is fellowship. We must develop friendships. The bulletin for the A survey published in American
Sociological Review revealed that in 2004, one out of every four Americans had
no close friends, and there was a 33 percent decline in the number of
friendships over the past two decades.
On average, Americans had only two people they would call close
confidents (Today in the World, May
2007). It’s easy to walk away from
strangers. It’s hard to walk away from
friends. In my judgment, if we will
nurture friendships within the congregation, this will help prevent further
church shrinkage. How about opening up
your home to your Christian brothers and sisters? After all, the Bible does say, “Contribute to
the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Romans 12:13 ESV). 2.
Bring back those who have left “What do you think?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave
the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?”
(Matt 18:12 ESV). Do you know of people
who used to be part of our congregation, but no longer are? Give them a call. Let’s bring back the people who have left
us. 3.
Bring in new people Our brother Phil Sanders has identified, “Ten Steps
Everyone Can Do to Reach Lost Friends.”
They are: 1. Prayerfully identify one to three people
you know who are not Christians. 2. Pray for their salvation every day. 3. Be a blessing to your friends. 4. Invite each to a meal (no agenda), just
to get better acquainted. 5. At an opportune time, ask each one for
prayer requests. Check back. 6. Invite each one to outreach events, Bible
classes, or church. 7. Be there for them when they need help. 8. Continue praying, and seek opportunities
to expose them to the gospel. 9. Tell them why you became a Christian. |