“The plight of the local Church?”

"

The plight of the local church in America can be a little depressing. Thousands are closing. Millions of people are staying home…Even people who claim to be "born again."

The church is under a lot of criticism these days. A recent Newsweek magazine cover on April 9, 2012 read, “Forget the church…follow Jesus.”

 A rant by a young man on youtube titled, “Why I hate religion, but love Jesus” has now been viewed nearly 22 million times. More and more people are abandoning the regular attendance of church for what they have concluded is their only need…the need for just Jesus. Just give me Jesus.

Why? For the most part they have lost faith in the church. They fail to see all the good the church can be and has been. They only focus on the problems, failures, and a few troubled people within the church. Do you know why churches have troubled people? Answer: “Where ever there is light, there are bugs!”
It’s too easy to be critical regarding the church:

            -She’s too boring

            -She doesn't deal with real issues of life

            -She’s intolerant

-She’s full of hypocrites

-She’s too focused on money

-She gets in the way of “My Time”

It is not uncommon today to hear people disparage the church. Well, we would like to answer those charges.

During September, several area churches, including Lincoln Christian Church, will join together to present a series of sermons titled, “Why Church?”

We are using this theme to invite our community to give the church a test drive for a month. We know that although we have thousands of people who are in attendance at one of the local churches every Sunday, there are many more thousands who do not. So, the pastors from these local ministries will be joining together, meeting weekly, and sharing in writing of four sermons to answer the question: Why the church is important!

I question if any community can ever remember a time when preachers from all kinds of different denominations and  backgrounds  worked  together on  their sermons to

present a series of joint effort messages. These sermons will not be “why MY church” but “why THE church?”

The mudslinging that has taken place over the last few years against the church demands a response from its leaders as to why the church is important. We’re going to answer that question together.

We will be inviting the entire community to find their way into one of the churches presenting this series. That’s where you come in.

To help you bring someone with you, we are providing “Why Church” bookmark invitations. We are also asking all the members of these churches to wear a “Why Church” bracelet. That way we can encourage each other for the month when we see each other around town.

Every person in Lincoln may not accept our invitation to church—but every person will receive one. This is our opportunity. I wonder what great things the Lord has planned for us in September?

[Ron Otto, Lincoln Christian Church]