What is the Purpose of the Church?
A Survey:
What is the purpose of the Church?
89% of the church members said, "The purpose of the church is to take care of me and my family."
11% of the church members said, "The purpose of the church is to win people to Christ."
90% of the pastors said, "The purpose of the church is to win people to Christ."
10% of the pastors said, "The purpose of the church is to take care of the people."
Here's my prayer:
"Lord, help those in the church to realize that they are commanded to carry out your mission of redeeming a lost world."
Think about this: If the 11% of the church members and the other 90%% of the pastors were instead, in a new wineskin (unrestrictive) that allowed them to freely follow their passion of winning the lost, we would see rapid muliplication of disciples and churches for Christ. I invite all of you who find yourselves out of place (in ineffective churches) to participate in the movement of Jesus taking us back to His original plan for all of us. We must not let the institution hold us back from the fulfillment of our God given dream and directive.
The church is not predominantly called to care for her own, we are called to give 100% to changing our world. Wherever there is a "take care of us" mentality, there is decline and ineffective mission.
posted by Bob Carder @ 9:54 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
wow ,dude,thats so original!typical religious leader hype,take a quote make it yours by bashing someone else.jimmy swaggart would be proud.he thought he was unrestricted too.
I think Anonymous must have missed the point! I have very little respect for drive-by anonymous commentors who don't have the stones to make themselves known.
Think about this: If the 11% of the church members and the other 10% of the pastors were instead, in a new wineskin (unrestrictive) that allowed them to freely follow their passion of winning the lost, we would see rapid muliplication of disciples and churches for Christ. I invite all of you who find yourselves out of place (in ineffective churches) to participate in the movement of Jesus taking us back to His original plan for all of us.
Ah, but what is the cost of "multiplying disciples" and not having in place the ability to mature those disciples? What you have then are bed babies trying to talk grown ups into salvation.
It's another "cart before the ox" scenario.
Instead, I believe that you should focus on building relationships, life-long relationships, with the unsaved which will probably lead to many, if not most, of them becoming saved. Then, just as Jesus did, you build them to the point that their maturity "naturally" leads them to sharing Christ with others.
The church is not predominantly called to care for her own, we are called to give 100% to changing our world. Wherever there is a "take care of us" mentality, there is decline and ineffective mission.
Again, and this may be semantics, but the Church is called to be a witness as through their lives lived together before a dying world.
It is this "fleshing out" of the gospel that leads to true converts and mature disciples...not merely preaching, teaching or telling.
I think we underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to teach new believers to walk in the light and in growth. (I am guilty of this from time to time.)
We must never forsake a new believer and his/her need to be taught and discipled as the Holy Spirit prepares the way. What I am asking all of you to consider is simply this: I build a relationship with someone who needs Jesus and they do come to Christ, I walk with that person, teaching and discipling them. While I am discipling my new friend, then my new friend builds a relationship and someone else comes to Christ. The person in my relationship who found Christ begins to disciple his new friend who found Christ and on and on. It becomes exponential New Testament growth that cannot be stopped.
We wait way too long to release our new believer into the ministry of building relationships, sharing Christ everyday, leading people to Christ, and then teaching the new Christ follower (themselves) what they have been taught to others.
I like the scenaro - of building long term relationships so that many will come to Christ. Do that, but don't wait for the new believer to become mature before they build relationships & lead people to Jesus and discipled others as they are being discipled.
Oh how we look through the Americanized view of Christianity. We cannot help it. I know that in many other countries but America this New Testament model for making disciples who make disciples is already happening with staggering results.
While I have declared my desire to see God birth 40 Churches in St. Louis and Kansas City over the next six years. Leaders in Africa would laugh me off. They would likely say, "Why not ask God for 300 churches every year? Oh ye of little faith." And you know what, they are right.
Ricky, I'm still chewing on your thoughts and I am grateful for your willingness to share for all to read.
The hard part is the relational building relationships part. I have yet to lead someone to Christ in my neigborhood - but I and am building strong relationships. The fruit of the harvest will come. And when it does, I will ask them to do the same with someone else. Of course I will walk closely with them, teaching them what Jesus taught and what Jesus considered important for us to teach.
In time we'll all see that anyway to lead people to Jesus is a God honoring way.
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