EMPTY PEWS

 

Christianity Today wrote an article on empty pews - from 42% to 29% church attendance, and the numbers in the northeast are doubtless far lower.  The local soccer field church with packed parking lots look like where many young families prefer to be on Sundays.

WHAT SEEMS TO BE MISSING FROM THE ANALYSIS is the sad fact that so many churches are so compromised I would not go regularly to the vast majority of them myself - and I am a minister!

Reminds me of the joke of the man who did not want to get out of bed on Sunday morning to go to church,  His mother called him again and again but he turned over like a rusty hinge. Finally he blurted out - I do not want to go there - the people really get on my nerves.  Leave me alone!   His mother said softly, "Honey, you HAVE to go, you're the pastor!"

Most churches today have NOTHING of eternal value to offer. The love to talk about love but hate to talk about sin and responsibility.  They love to talk about "acceptance" but cringe if "holiness" is mentioned.

I have been a Christian for over 65 years and stand for the inalterable standards of the word of God.  I am a licensed minister and have preached in numerous denominational and non-denominational churches from Catholic (ecumenical service) to Baptist to AG to Apostolic to Third Wave to non-denominational, though I myself have been non-denominational for over 50 years.

In talking with other ministers, I find that many are into their job and non-ministerial Christians are often far more on top of the issues than "the professionals".  In fact, a Catholic Deacon at a gathering was bringing up how clueless some in his own hierarchy were and a priest nodded his head in ascent when I said the real issue is that many in ministry simply do not know Jesus. 

I am also a licensed architect working with people of many ethnicities, so I work full time as well as being an evangelist with three radio and Internet programs produced every week so am in the loop with what is going on in the world and a diversity of people. I also read a lot and am close to the pulse of what Christians are saying.  

I get endless theological papers from ACADEMIA - a social media site for academics, and what passes for scholarship is almost laughable in its illogical and absurd statements that would encourage a scribes and Pharisees style rebuke from Jesus were he listening. If these in seminaries ever get into churches, our church attendance would probably drop like a stone to resemble Europe's paltry rates.

 

Even in theologically conservative churches I have attended, which many people would think are over-the-top with Jesus, becoming a member is problematical, because there are compromises on basic Biblical Principles in key areas. Nonetheless, I preach where they will have me and do not change my message based on where I am.  

Where are the righteous? Where are the people who believe in the Lord and are intimate with him? We need each other, but many still looking for a fellowship which is truly in tune with the Lord and which refuses to compromise with clear teachings in the scripture - those fellowships are needles in a haystack, and many do not bother looking anymore...