Churches of Christ in Decline? Reflections

Did you notice? The church planting plan I linked to in the last post was organized very much along the lines of Lencioni’s Silos, Politics and Turf Wars. That is, it has a short-term vision (plant a church). It had intermediate goals (launch an ad campaign, have outreach events, etc.). It had eternal principles (reliance on prayer, theological foundations, etc.). And it had measurements (number of mailings, dates of events, etc.)

It doesn’t use the terminology of Lencioni, but the fact is, a church that is truly on a mission — where everyone is on the same mission and intensely so — will necessarily fit that pattern. Of course, very few established churches do.

And planted churches will not be involved in in-fighting. They’ve agreed on what they want to do and how they’re going to do it. They’re just working the plan all the members have signed on to.

It’s an interesting phenomenon — the model for church planting fits the model for eliminating silos, politics, and turf wars. Why would that be? What does the fact that growing churches by nature do the things that prevent infighting tell us about why non-growing churches don’t grow?

Pepperdine Materials

Well, I made my presentation today here in Pepperdine. I referred to a number of items on the website in answer to questions, so here are a few posts that may help some who attended.

Here is the PowerPoint presentation from the lecture: Why Are There So Many Divisions In the Churches of Christ? (For a fuller explanation of this material, go to Do We Teach Another Gospel?)

Here’s the Amazing Grace lesson series which addresses all the questions other than on divorce.

Here’s the material on divorce.

Buried Talents: The Archaeological Evidence

Recently, a number of scholars have noted that archaeological and other evidence supports the idea that the early church had women elders and bishops. While the existence of the evidence is undeniable, some argue that such women were part of heretical sects.

However, others argue that women had these roles early on but the church later came to reject this practice. As a result, references to women have been deleted in the ancient writings that have been preserved, but the archaeological evidence continues to testify to women having had leadership roles.

Amazing Grace: Conclusions, Part 1

[I’m reposting these for the benefit of our teachers. This is supplemental material in case last week’s outline doesn’t get you through two weeks. The last two are newly posted.]

Feeling forgiven. Obviously enough, the first important consequence of understanding grace better is to appreciate — to feel — the forgiveness God has given us.

Tragically, many of us go through life feeling unworthy, struggling to perhaps one day be good enough to merit God’s forgiveness. It’s a miserable existence. I’ve been there.

Others, however, unwilling to feel so miserable, convince themselves that they really do merit God’s forgiveness and so become arrogant. In the Churches of Christ, this arrogance typically shows itself as doctrinal perfectionism — that is, the idea that only those with perfect doctrine will go to heaven.

Churches of Christ in Decline? What It Takes to Be a Planted Church

Again, this is just an idea. I’ve never done this. I don’t know anyone else who has. It’s probably impossible. But at the worst, this would be a good exercise for any church leadership. What would it take to turn an existing church into a planted church?

Here’s a sample church-plant plan. Now, stop and read it.

Are We Sacramentalists? Sex, Children, and Such

In the previous posts, I tried to give a taste of the sacramental nature of the Spirit — how human actions, empowered by God’s Holy Spirit — cause spiritual things to happen here on earth.

But there are other examples. For example, I’ve earlier mentioned how marriage is a sacrament, as marriage is a covenant with God and brings a bit of heaven to earth, as we restore men and women toward Eden.

But there’s more. You see, sex not only brings a bit of God’s joy to married men and women, it brings babies. And babies have souls. You see, a very human action creates one more soul with the potential to spend eternity in heaven. Sex thus is especially sacramental — and therefore is an act of worship (except when performed in rebellion to God’s design).

Churches of Christ in Decline? Setting a Short-Term Vision

Okay, I’ve warned you against just buying the hot new evangelical book and making it the short-term vision. It doesn’t work. Well, actually, sometimes it does. But not always.

Back when the church growth movement was in full swing, those methods actually worked for a while. Now, they’re about worn out and — more importantly — we’re beginning to see theological problems with them. Many church growth methods led to consumerist churches, catering to “felt needs” rather than recruiting people to join in God’s mission.

Therefore, we need to spend a little time in theological reflection. It’s not that hard. We just have to get back to elementary principles — and away from the books.

Buried Talents: The Women after Pentecost

Pentecost

Jesus’ inclusion of women among his disciples begins a pattern that is reflected in the conduct of His apostles. Women disciples were with the apostles at the very beginning:

(Acts 1:12-14) Then [the apostles] returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Are We Sacramentalists? The Creation

In a previous post, we considered the verses that teach that God acts on us, through his Spirit, as we study the Bible. This makes Bible study — or listening to the word taught or preached — sacramental, as a human activity results in God’s activity in a real and immediate way right here on Planet Earth.

But the promise Paul speaks of in 1 Cor 2 is deeper and wider than Bible study. The Spirit helps us “understand what God has freely given us.” Well, God has given us more than the Bible. He has, for example, given us the Creation itself.

Churches of Christ in Decline: Silos, Politics and Turf Wars

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars is a business management book by Patrick Lencioni. I’m a huge fan of his The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, which should be required reading for every elder and minister in the Churches. I’m such a big fan of 5 Dysfunctions that I bought Silos several months ago, figuring it would be just as good.

And it is good, but I had trouble making the application to churches. So I never wrote a review. I just put it on my shelf, hoping one day the time I’d spent reading it would pay off. And then I was thinking about the decline in the Churches of Christ. And then it kind of all came together.

Churches of Christ in Decline? Data Points

Alan Rouse, in a post on his blog, brought together several pieces of data that bear on the decline of conservative denominations, such as the Southern Baptists and Churches of Christ. I’d like to add a few more.

First, the Christian Chronicle interviewed Scott Thumma, a church-growth researcher, whose worked I’ve written about before. In that interview he said an amazingly depressing thing:

Nearly all church growth is the result of a circulation of the saints. Very little significant church growth occurs as a result of converting the unsaved, except for the conversion of ones’ offspring.

If he’s right, then it’s hardly surprising that the conservative denominations have stopped growing.

100,000 Hits!

Rats! I was planning on watching the hit counter hit 100,000 and got distracted. Oh, well.

Thanks to everyone for clicking over here. And thanks especially to those who comment. It makes things much more interesting.

PS — Don’t forget to look me up at Pepperdine. 3:15 on Wednesday. KSC 130. This is in the Keck Science building and is easily gotten to from the top of the stairs — in fact, attending this class could avoid climbing LOTS of steps because it’s on the first floor. I should add that the entrace from the other side is via the Appleby Center.

PPS — I’m flying out tomorrow and on vacation Monday and Tuesday. You’ll be able to find me at the bobsled ride in Disneyland. Ahh … I love roller coasters. My wife is a Disney addict. I mean, to stay married, I have to get her to a Disney theme park at least once a year. We’ve just returned from DisneyWorld, so this is a double dose. I’m counting on major brownie points!

PPPS — I don’t know when I’ll be able to log back in. If there’s wireless on campus, I’ll try to post during the day. But I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that. So don’t take offense if I don’t respond to your comments for a while.

PPPPS — Did you notice the map at the bottom of the left column? I found that little doodad over on Bobby Valentine’s Stoned Campbell blog. Pretty cool. It’s been up only a couple of days, and already I’ve had viewers from all continents other than Antarctica! (But then, Antarctica isn’t on the map, so maybe a few scientists are logging in. Who knows?) And I look to be pretty popular in Great Britain for some reason. Really amazing technology.

Jay

Buried Talents: The Women of the Gospels and Acts

The Gospel Prophetesses

Before the birth of Jesus, three prophetesses were inspired by God to speak and to instruct men. The first is Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:42-45). Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also inspired to praise God in response to learning that God had selected her to bear the Messiah (Luke 1:46-55).

Anna the prophetess also prophesied about Jesus, and did so in the temple courts, the most public place of worship in all Israel (Luke 2:36-37). Moreover, she testified about Jesus in the temple courts “to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). Anna was not only prophesying, she was teaching. Her words were the teaching of men in public. The words of all three prophetesses are preserved in scriptures as inspired speech.

Now, some would argue that prophetic utterance is an exception because the words come from God. But that argument only works if you start with the assumption that women was flawed, gullible creatures. If your argument in ontological — that women simply have a different place in the created order — then why would God choose women for this purpose? Why not have the speeches made by the women’s husbands?

Straight Talk About Premarital Sex

Excellent article from Janice Crouse reporting the results of the latest research on premarital sex.

Churches of Christ in Decline? “Good News and Bad News” (revised)

Dr. Flavil Yeakley, long the unofficial chief statistician of the Churches of Christ, has just published a booklet called “Good News and Bad News: A Realistic Assessment of the Churches of Christ in the United States 2008.” It can be bought from the Gospel Advocate Bookstore for $3.75.

Having just reported that the Southern Baptist Churches are in decline, it seems only fair that we take a look at the Churches of Christ.

Are We Sacramentalists? Marriage as a Sacrament, and the Church

Recall Hicks’ definition of “sacrament”–

The material elements do not merely represent, but they participate in the reality to which they point. They are not mere signs, but symbols that mediate a spiritual reality. The signs become symbols because God does something through them.

I think there’s an interesting argument to be made that marriage meets this definition. Now the Catholics have said this for hundreds of years. The Protestants rejected this idea. But it bears some reflection.

In conventional Christian marriage theology, we consider marriage to be a covenant among God, the bride, and the groom. And there’s much truth to this.

Southern Baptist Churches In Decline

New research shows that the Southern Baptist denomination, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, is no longer growing and is, in fact, in decline. A discussion of the report by one of the researchers, Ed Stetzer, may be listened to here. The report is here. Be sure to listen to the interview. It’s about half an hour long, but really great stuff (and, at times, hilarious).

He vigorously argues that the Baptists must now change because doing the same thing as before no longer works. In particular, he begs his churches to “quit fighting” over “tertiary issues” and get centered on recovery of the gospel — giving up lessons that would still be true even if Jesus hadn’t died on the cross. They sound so much like us it’s scary!

Buried Talents: References to God as Female

Of course, one of the most male-centric aspects of the scriptures is the fact that God often refers to himself as a male — as “father” in particular. But there are also a number of Old Testament passages where God refers to Himself as a mother.

(Isa 46:3 ESV) “Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all the remnant of the house of Israel,
who have been borne by me from before your birth,
carried from the womb … .

(Isa 49:15 ESV) Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.

Are We Sacramentalists? The Lord’s Supper and the Assembly

Back a few weeks ago, I started an exploration of the Eastern Orthodox understanding of “sacrament.” Their approach is quite different from the Catholic/Protestant approach.

Let’s just, for fun, you know, see if we can find evidence of a sacramental meaning for the Lord’s Supper in the scripture. Maybe we overlooked it.

I think we should start in Matthew 18:

(Mat 18:19-20) “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Reflect on that one for a moment. Jesus is present with us when we gather in his name. He’s omnipresent, of course, and so we tend to trivialize this fact, I think — just as we tend to overlook the Spirit’s special presence with us. But Jesus indwells the assembly. He’s there!

And so I wrote a communion meditation to point out part of the sacramental significance of this fact. Click here. I mean it. Click on the link. It explains a little of what’s going on in the communion. I’ll admit to being influenced by N. T. Wright’s Simple Christianity. And I’m kind of proud of it because it’s such a different sort of writing for me.

Amazing Grace: Bringing It All Back Home*

Here’s an outline for the next two lessons or so.

I. Review the breadth of grace

(Gal 5:6b) The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

A. What is “faith”? As always in the New Testament, faith in Jesus.

B. What does “counts” refer to? Justification. “Justification” is the judge’s verdict of “not guilty” or better yet “innocent.” The only thing that justifies — that shows we’ve been saved — is our faith in Jesus and our love arising from our faith.