Church in America Marked by Decline

No, this is not another rant against the fundamentalists, although I could easily turn it into one. This is a rant, on the other hand, about what counts for missions in today's churches.

The impetus for this story comes from The Christian Chronicle, a monthly paper put out by the Church of Christ. It reports on a comprehensive study that shows statistically significant declines in church going, particularly since 2003. This, I believe, should be the principal goal of missions now in churches around the world. After all, singing songs at nursing homes is great, but the Great Commission is to spread the word. We are not spreading the word.

Every week churches all across America do the traditional forms of outreaches. We play Upward Basketball, which is good. We send cards to troops in Iraq, which is good. We run Angel Food Ministries, visit hospitals and senior centers--all good. What we don't do, by and large, is have outreaches to people who need it most, those who have left the church or never started in the church to begin with.

First on my list is parents. Children who don't grow up in a loving church are almost always lost. Very few ever find their way to God later in life. Every effort should be made to get out into the community and get to the parents, who need to be made to understand that they are creating spiritually bankrupt children who will struggle later in life.

And what about your average young worker? We make care packages for the fire department, but what about care packages for the cashiers at the grocery store? What about a little happy note and an invitation to church?

It is time to step out of the box and reach for the people who need saving.