Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

Connecting Point: The Church of Tomorrow

We all have wishes for the future. Saying it best perhaps was the iconic movie character, Doc Brown in Back to the Future, “The future’s unwritten. It’s what we make of it.” The Barna Research group recently reported, “Christianity in the (US) has undergone dramatic change in the last few decades.” They noted that today one in four Americans identifies as a practicing Christian, meaning their faith is very important and that they regularly attend church. The report

contrasts findings from their annual 2000 analysis State of the Church, which found that almost two in four Americans considered themselves to be practicing Christians. With that figure nearly cut in half twenty years later, be certain of this, dramatic change is almost perfectly predictable.

The core issue must be clearly defined. Our tendency is to get caught up in the “weeds” of issues that are peripheral; such as, finding a church that meets all of your comforts, preferences for music style, or a perfect group of believers to fit with.

I would boil the gradual loss of Americans who do not identify as practicing Christian to disillusionment. Unrealistic expectations can be part of the problem, as somehow the Christian life is always to be filled with good times. Much of this disillusion can be tied to relational struggles with the assumption that Christian people always agree and get along perfectly. The goal to be united as believers in Jesus will often be subverted by challenges. Our response is defined by being Christlike. Putting on the full armor of God as inspired in Ephesians 6:10-18 prepares us daily. Christlike means being strong. It is Galatians 5:22-23, being filled with the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These armor us to help avoid being disillusioned.

One characteristic which I would like to highlight is faithfulness but from a different perspective than you might expect. Church attendance is most often attributed to church faithfulness. Understand that Paul’s teaching in Galatians speaks directly to our personal character and, while church faithfulness is admirable, the goal is far more

reaching. A person can “attend” church seven days a week but without character transformation such efforts are meaningless.

Spiritual qualities are for every day and every situation.

Let me point you to a form of character development in what I would refer to as the ‘faithfulness muscle.’ Build a record of

developing faithfulness by serving and giving your God-given talents to your local church. Also, read God’s Word more faithfully, asking the Holy Spirit to work in your life. Don’t just attend church, get connected to other believers and be part of ministry. Furthermore, be a person who loves your community and represents Jesus well.

Faithfulness at a deeper level is exactly what the church of tomorrow needs.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 02/21/2024 00:33