The American Church Magazine® November 2014 2

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Cover StoryHave We Overemphasized Evangelism?Why is the church in America in decline Part 3 By Steve Hewitt

November 2014 Vol. 3 No. 11

Dedicated to helping the church in America find their purpose, define their mission and reach their community.

ArticleThe Rise of the DonesBy Thom Schultz7

3 EditorialWhat is your church doing to keeppeople from becoming “done”?By Steve Hewitt

Staying PowerResting in Your CallBy George Cannon12From Church HoppersSame-Sex MarriagesBy Jerry (Doc) Bentley14

Reviving the Small ChurchPart 6 – Keeping the Fire StokedBy Michael Henderson9

No Longer Church As UsualIt Ain’t None of Our Business!By Tim Kurtz17

November 2014 3The American Church Magazine®

November 2014 Vol. 3 No. 11

Editorial

What is your church doing to keep people from becoming “done”?

If you read the article from Thom Schultz this month, you will see his reporting on the Future of the Church Summit held by Group Publishing last month. One of the reports presented during the summit related to new studies that show a growing number of past church members who are stating they are simply “done” with the church. They drop out.

They are not stating they are upset with their pastor or are leaving due to some con-flict within the church, but they are simply burned out and done. They do not see any value in continuing to attend and support their local church. So, here is my question to you!

What are you doing to prevent your mem-bers from becoming burned out or “done”?

I am not sure I have the solution. I HAVE read some good authors who offered some suggestions, but I want to know what our readers think. Or, if you are experiencing this in your church, people simply dropping out, what do you think should be done?

Drop me an email (steve@ccmag.com). I will compile the best comments and solutions offered into an article we will publish next month. Do not worry, I am going to keep all comments anonymous, so please don’t worry, your comments will not come back to haunt you. Be as honest as you wish! This is a grow-ing crisis for the American church and we need to hear from pastors in the field!

Together We Serve Him,

Steve Hewittsteve@ccmag.com

The American Church Magazine® November 2014 4

Cover Story

Have We Overemphasized Evangelism?

A series by Steve Hewitt

Several years ago, while watching a LifeTree Café episode on what people think about Christians, I heard for the first time a new complaint. People on the street basically said, “All churches want to do is have you “get saved” and then they don’t care anything more about you!”

I have to be honest, my first reaction was, “Wow, I suppose people would complain if we threw water on them if they were on fire!” But my second reaction was to give this some thought. If you have been a long time reader of CCMag, you may know that I was a pastor for many years, in a denomination that strongly emphasized evange-lism. You were always expected to offer an invita-tion at the end of the service, which limited the

“meat” of your sermon since it was to be designed for the “non-Christian”, at least as you prepared to wrap up your message and offer the alter call for evangelism.

I also remember a few years ago, as I started a new church. The church was non-denominational and my messages had changed. My messages em-phasized helping people to learn better how to love God and love others. We didn’t give an invitation at

Why is the church in America in decline – Part 3

November 2014 5The American Church Magazine®

The American Church Magazine® November 2014 6

the end of the service, and after just a few months, it was made clear to me by a family that had vis-ited, that they wouldn’t be coming back BECAUSE we didn’t offer an alter call invitation at the end of the service.

We baptized 8-9 that first year, which was pretty good considering we only started with five people when we established the church and if we had 35 it was a great crowd. We actually had a special time after our Sunday services called “Pizza with Steve” about once every three months. Dur-ing this time I shared what was required if people wanted to become members of our church, and of course the first requirement was that they be a Christian. In the course of sharing how a person be-came a Christian, we saw the decisions by people to become a Christian, and thus the baptisms.

What message did I send to people back in my days of being a pastor in the late 70’s and through the early 90’s when I was an “evangelic” pastor? In looking back, I think I might have erred. I was driven to bring people to Christ. And what about after they had been baptized? I have to con-fess, I think I measured their discipleship by their continual attendance. As long as they continued to come on Sunday and hear me preach, and as long as they hopefully attended what we called Sunday school, I felt I was a success.

In retrospect, I now doubt my success. After all, what separated me from an insurance sales-man? Most insurance sales persons are not all that popular (remember the salesman in “Ground Hog Day”?) Insurance sales people basically want you to sign up, commit to making your payments, and they basically drop out of sight. I think that might be why State Farm runs those commercials and has the theme song “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there!” Two guys are out sightseeing in a park with buffalo, and one sticks its head inside their car. They sing the theme song, and the State Farm agent appears, and “pop” they are safe back in the State Farm office. Of course no one really believes State Farm agents can teleport themselves, but the point of the commercial is “we care what happens to you after the sale”.

I think I failed to do this when I was a pastor. And, from the comments I hear from the “un-churched” they feel others have failed as well. What have we been offering new Christians after they are “marked”? The opportunity to serve on a committee? The opportunity to give us their money

so we can afford to keep up our buildings and pay our employees? Of course there is so much more to Christianity, but I think it benefits us well to do some self-examination to be sure we are really leading people to a greater relationship with God and not just a membership in our organization.

If we have indeed started them in the right direction, what part does church actually play in their ongoing relationship with God? How many times do they need to hear a sermon on Noah and the Ark? How many times do the need to study David and Goliath in Sunday school? How do they relate to serving on the kitchen committee as part of their relationship with God?

In this issue, we are republishing a blog written by Thom Schultz. In it he explains a new demo-graphic that is growing in our country. Of course, most realize that 20% of Americans now designate themselves as the “nones”, meaning they are non-affiliated with any religion. But, as he points out, a new group, designated as the “dones” have risen. They are people who say they are Christians, have a history of being involved in a church, but presently have declared their self “done” with church. They didn’t leave because they were mad at a particular pastor, or because of a conflict that happened at their church, but they simply came to the conclu-sion that they were “done”.

It makes me wonder if we have overem-phasized evangelism, and simply failed to present a reason for these people to stay with the church. Thom is getting a lot of response from his blog, and I want to hear from you as well. Check out this month’s editorial, and watch for an email after Thanksgiving that will repeat the “question of the month” as it relates to this subject.

I am not going to be bold enough to present solutions to this problem. I believe I do understand the feelings of those that are being expressed by the “dones”, and I have some opinions, but I want to hear from pastors of all denominations, church sizes and locations. So, drop me an email and let me know what you think about the question asked in the title of this article, and read the editorial to find the follow up question for this month!

November 2014 7The American Church Magazine®

John is every pastor’s dream member. He’s a life-long believer, well-studied in the Bible, gives generously, and leads others pas-sionately. But last year he dropped out of church. He didn’t switch to the other church down the road. He dropped out completely. His departure wasn’t the result of an ugly encounter with a staff person or another member. It wasn’t triggered by any single event. John had come to a long-considered, thoughtful decision. He said, “I’m just done. I’m done with church.”

John is one in a growing multitude of ex-mem-bers. They’re sometimes called the de-churched. They have not abandoned their faith. They have not joined the also-growing legion of those with no religious affiliation–often called the Nones. Rather, John has joined the Dones.

At Group’s recent Future of the Church confer-ence, sociologist Josh Packard shared some of his groundbreaking research on the Dones. He ex-plained these de-churched were among the most dedicated and active people in their congregations. To an increasing degree, the church is losing its best.

For the church, this phenomenon sets up a growing danger. The very people on whom a church relies for lay leadership, service and finan-cial support, are going away. And the problem is compounded by the fact that younger people in the next generation, the Millennials, are not lining up to refill the emptying pews.

Why are the Dones done? Packard describes several factors in his upcoming book, Church Refu-gees (Group). Among the reasons: After sitting through countless sermons and Bible studies, they feel they’ve heard it all. One of Packard’s intervie-wees said, “I’m tired of being lectured to. I’m just

The Rise of the Dones

Article

By Thom Schultz

The American Church Magazine® November 2014 8

done with having some guy tell me what to do.”The Dones are fatigued with the Sunday routine

of plop, pray and pay. They want to play. They want to participate. But they feel spurned at every turn.

Will the Dones return? Not likely, according to the research. They’re done. Packard says it would be more fruitful if churches would focus on not losing these people in the first place. Preventing an exodus is far easier than attempting to convince refugees to return.

Pastors and other ministry leaders would ben-efit from asking and listening to these long-time members, before they flee. This will require a change of habit. When it comes to listening, church leaders are too often in the habit of fawning over celebrity pastors for answers. It would be far more fruitful to take that time and spend it with real people nearby–existing members. Ask them some good questions, such as:

Why are you a part of this church?• What keeps you here?• Have you ever contemplated stepping away • from church? Why or why not?

How would you describe your relationship • with God right now?How has your relationship with God • changed over the past few years?What effect, if any, has our church had on • your relationship with God?What would need to change here to help • you grow more toward Jesus’ call to love God and love others?

It’s time to listen. Even as I’m writing this today, another high-capacity lay leader emailed me with his decision to leave his church. He’s done. Like many others I know, he’s also a nationally known Christian leader. But he’s done.

Your church, even if it’s one of the rare growing ones, is sitting on a ticking time bomb. The exodus of the Dones, the rise of the Nones, and the disap-pearance of the Millennials do not look good for a church afraid to listen.

It’s not too late to start.(Thom Schultz is the co-author of Why Nobody

Wants to Go to Church Anymore.)

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November 2014 9The American Church Magazine®

Part 6 – Keeping the Fire Stoked

Reviving the Small Church

By Michael Henderson

The context of the passage is instruction for obedience. In verse 17 it is applied to a child who must have godly instruction—even discipline—to help guide him as he grows. Without it parents are in for a life of heartache and trial. In verse 19 the same principal is applied to a servant. Just as mere words are not enough to sway a child to walk in an upright way neither will they work on one who is older and in your employ. Tucked in the middle of the passage is vs. 18. In its context having revealed or projected visionary boundaries that are enforced by a strong reason to move only within their bounds will keep us all on a path to victory.

From the child, to the servant, to the church vision or prophetic revelation is necessary to see the victory of the Lord in our lives. A child needs to understand why godly living will keep him in good health, give his body strength, and his mind the clarity it needs to make good decisions. An

employee needs to know that following and obey-ing what is required—even entering into what is required with personality, zest, and zeal—will reward him with prosperity that will trickle down even into his own family, propelling his future for-ward. The Church must have revelation as well.

How can a Pastor Deliver God’s Revelation?It is always best when considering our vision

in the Church to consider why we are a part of it in the first place. There is always a reason why people join up with specific churches. I think Acts 2:42 is always a best place to start in receiving more into your fellowship.

Three thousand souls were added to the church on the day of Pentecost. Do we think these new members of the body were organized into specific churches? At first, no they were not; but they soon would be. I think the vision for a true Church was cast in vs. 42.

In a past installment I spoke about vision and making sure that the Church was aligned to it. I would like to expound on that as a final tip in this series.

Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul. Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law. A servant will not be corrected by mere words; For though he understands, he will not respond. (Proverbs 29:17-19 NKJV)

The American Church Magazine® November 2014 10

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November 2014 11The American Church Magazine®

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42 NKJV)

Peter listed four things that I believe are most relevant for the Church to hear and see:

They must be a biblically solid Church, 1. teaching all of God’s word (Acts 5:19-20)They must have strong fellowship2. They must always remember what the Lord 3. has done for them through His death, burial, and resurrectionThey must be a praying Church4.

A Church will soon fall apart if there is no solid and ongoing teaching from the word of God. All church-goers must be fed, but not just anything; they need to be fed on the solid principles that align with the apostolic teaching found only in the Bible. When we bring in our own teaching and our own doctrine we will lose the blessing of God.

A Church must have fellowship. Enough cannot be said about κοινωνια, koy-nohn-ee’-ah, or fellow-ship and communion together. This word speaks of Church members participating in an ongoing basis getting to know each other—helping one another along. A solid Church will be one that cares for its membership.

A Church must never neglect participating in the Lord’s Supper. By participating in the remem-brance of the death of Christ and our belief in all the New Covenant teaches we are in reality iden-tifying with the Lord who gave it. It was His blood that was spilled for our transgressions. Participating also keeps us humble. That is, if we remember the purpose of His death we also remember that we are sinners and in need of His blood to continually forgive us of our sin.

A Church must pray. Enough cannot be said about prayer. Jesus modeled it through the con-stant practice of keeping in touch with the Father in Heaven. God is always with us and we need to understand that in order to be the powerful over-coming presence in the world that God promises we are—a life that reflects the glory of Christ within—we too must commune with the Father. But let’s make sure that our prayers are not just for our needs but for the saving power of God to touch the lost. Truly a prayerless life is a powerless life.

To convey the vision that God has for His Church we need to start with those four principles.

Practice EncouragementThe old adage “sticks and stones may break my

bones but words will never hurt me” is a lie. We all know words do hurt. And the way a pulpit of Sun-day Bible study conveys them matters. A church fel-lowship should be a place where people can come to find acceptance and encouragement amongst the brethren. A pastor should always practice build-ing up the congregation within the confines of the declarations of God. For instance when we talk about salvation are we always keeping the congre-gation on the edge of their seat wondering about the fate of their soul or are we exalting God for His undeserved preserving and keeping power that Peter tells us about in 1 Peter 1:3-4:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an in-heritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, (1 Peter 1:3-4 NKJV)

Not only is the gospel clearly portrayed in that passage but the church is encouraged concerning the depth of God’s love and the sure hope we have in Christ. This is what builds people up to serve and to support God’s work. It is a gospel of freedom because our salvation is reliant only on the finished work of Christ that makes people see that they are indeed usable by God.

If we beat them up Sunday after Sunday, soon you will find yourself alone.

Practice FaithEvery day we need to be an available resource

that models what faith in God means. The small things are always where it starts. I remember my first answered prayer. I had two days to get a certi-fied birth certificate in the mail or I could not play in the State Little League baseball tournament. My mom applied on Tuesday and I received it on Thurs-day. Only God can do that. Faith in the small thrusts one to faith in the weightier things of life. All in all teach God’s people, lift up the Lord and in doing so you will find that the congregation will be lifted up as well.

The American Church Magazine® November 2014 12

Resting in Your Call

Staying Power

By George Cannon

Working with established churches presents many struggles and difficulties. Surprisingly, the most trying aspect of pastoring an established church is not opposition from others. But rather, it is the mental torment we undergo on a daily basis. Our distress emerges from frustration with the church, fear of the unknown, and self-doubt. Destructive thoughts begin to invade our self-image. Convinced we mistakenly assumed the pastorate at our church, we begin to desire a vocation with less stress. We start imagining about what it would be like to pastor another church. Questions arise about if God truly called us into ministry.

Perseverance is the greatest asset for a pastor serving an established church. Not only is persever-ing in pastoral ministry about standing strongly in the face of opposition and setbacks, it is confronting our personal mental torment. The key to persever-ance is not doubting the call to ministry, but resting in it despite any the struggles we endure.

The Simplicity of the CallExamining God’s call on a minister’s life will aid

him in persevering through difficulties. There are numerous opinions and positions concerning the nature and validity of such a calling. But rather than explore the various opinions and positions concern-ing the call, we will address a more simplistic view of the call. For the purpose of this discussion, we will define the call as a point in time where the pastor sensed, whether on his own or through the leading of the Holy Spirit, the desire to pursue ministry. From

that moment, the pastor surrender all other options in his life to pursue serving God. With the decision to pursue ministry, the pastor embarked on a journey of education and service to fulfill the desire that God gave him.

When looking back at that time in our lives, it is important to recognize two key factors that domi-nated our thinking at that time. First, we decided to respond to the calling despite the unknown. If we would reflect on that time, we would remember that we had little or no understanding of the reality of ministry. Yet, we still felt compelled to pursue the ministry and the unknown excited us.

We also made the decision to serve God wher-ever he wanted us to be. We did not consider church size and locations and gave no thought to how difficult ministry might be. Our desire was simply to serve the Lord wherever he wanted. We had no stipulations on our commitment to follow His call.

November 2014 13The American Church Magazine®

So when we think of our call to ministry, we must embrace that fact that even though we had no clue what ministry would be like, we were willing to go anywhere to serve the Lord. That, my friends, is the simplicity of the call.

Complicating the CallAs we look back to that time of our calling, we

must consider when we began to lose our perspec-tive. To many of us, the calling seems to no longer be simple as it once was. We have complicated our un-derstanding of our calling to the point that we ques-tion it. The calling appears distant and confusing.

In order to understand how we have complicated our calling, we must examine the major influences that are confusing us.

1. Pastoral Training/Education - The first major influence that can cause us to confuse our calling is the pastoral training and education we pur-sued in preparation for ministry. In the process of this preparation, we began to expose ourselves to various models and examples of ministry. We developed a standard for ministry and adopted a mindset of pastoral success. While exposure to ministry models can be helpful, it may mislead a pastor concerning the relation between his ministry and calling.

2. Denominational Influences - Our denomina-tional structures also complicate our view of our call to ministry. These structures communicate to us their standards of a successful ministry.

3. Conferences/Books - Another major influ-ence that can impact our understanding of our calling is attending pastoral conferences and reading about successful ministry models. The purpose of these resources is to present a model for ministry success and the means to achieve it. Confusion occurs when the pastor begins equate his call to ministry with the success portrayed in the resources.

4. Pastoral culture - Closely related to the influ-ence of conferences and books is the pastoral culture of success in North American Christian-ity. The size of the congregation and its budget becomes the measure of success. Success is also measured by the number of outside speaking engagements the pastor is engaged in. Being

enamored with the pastoral culture of success in our day adds to the confusion concerning the call to ministry.

5. Ambition - Finally, our personal ambitions that we have for our ministries complicate and con-fuse our callings. As a pastor becomes immersed in the North American ministry culture, he develops certain goals that he wished to attain in pastoral ministry. These goals can be financial, educational or vocational. Because all goals can-not be attained, the pastor can question his call to ministry.

While these influences are not necessarily detri-mental, they can cloud our perspective of our calling to ministry. We no longer measure ourselves by our faithfulness to the initial calling. Rather, but by these influences. The outcome of this is almost always defeats pastors.

Back to BasicsAs we begin to understand how outside influ-

ences have dictated our view of what faithfulness to the calling is, we must reorient ourselves back to the simplicity of our initial calling. This can be accom-plished in several ways.

Remember that we were willing to go any-1. where to serve God including our current churchesRecognize that we were not guaranteed suc-2. cess, but we were okay with that.Accept that suffering and hardship are a part 3. of ministry.Strive for faithfulness, but understand that it 4. is not the same things as success.

Now is the time we stop questioning our call to ministry because failed to secure the success that we desire. What matters most is our faithfulness to serve him. We must reclaim the initial zeal we expe-rienced when we decided to enter ministry. It’s time to find contentment with where we are currently serving God.

George Cannon has served as the pastor of the Curwensville Christian Church in rural Pennsylvania since 2001. george@curwensvillechristian.org

The American Church Magazine® November 2014 14

Same-Sex Marriages

From Church Hoppers

The subject at hand is a very sensitive issue throughout America and even more among local churches. Churches are faced with the decision of whether or not to allow same-sex marriages in their facilities and whether the ordained and licensed ministers will be allowed to perform them.

By Jerry (Doc) Bentley

As a government employee, magistrates, justice of the peace, judges, deputy clerks, etc, based on each state regulations, are required by law to unite any couple that is in compliance with the state regulations. But in regard to the clergy, the rules are at the discretion of each minister unless the individual state requires their participation, which according to our research is not one state has such a requirement. Every church must make decisions today to be prepared for harder decisions tomor-row primarily because your community is at stake.

The need for a marriage license was not in question until the mid-1800s. Prior to that time, common-law marriage was the standard. In 1923, the Federal Government established the Uniform Marriage and Marriage License Act (they later es-tablished the Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act). In 1929, every state had adopted marriage license laws. When each state took their positions for mar-riage licenses, they became a contractual agree-ment, and from the state’s perspective it was and is about money, assets and marital deprecation when the marriage ends in divorce.

The liberals of the country say they want sepa-ration of church and state. However, when the

church takes a stand or refuses to comply with the state, then they cry, “Discrimination.” On the other hand, conservatives say that the church and state cannot be separated because the beginning of the United States was built on Christian doctrine. But, when the state refuses to comply with the moral code of the church, they cry, “Legislation. “

The argument of same sex marriage in church is a moral issue for ministers who are against and a moral issue for those who are for it. Some minis-ters do not want to get in the way of their Biblical view of marriage, one man and one woman forev-er, and others do not want to get in the way of oth-ers’ rights and freedoms of the people. In either case, it comes back to each minister and what the church believes about marriage. The fear in many church leaders has more to do with whether each state will try to legislate the mandatory marrying of same-sex couples in the church. It’s understand-able, especially when the history of government legislation for churches has taken a stronger posi-tion due solely on the unethical behavior according to the Internal Revenue Service of the past in many churches. Remember, with the IRS and church it is about money and politics, the church takes

November 2014 15The American Church Magazine®

in huge sums of money every week and attracts massive groups of congregates who can be easily influenced in voting. (Tax-exempt status can be in jeopardy)

Ministers and churches have autonomy and must decide their position on the matter without destroying the community (a benefit to choose) whereas the government employees do not. The choice is simple yes or no but with either the lo-cal body must understand the consequences. It is easy to present the Bible and its authority without consideration of the congregation and community but what makes it better is prayer and commit-ment from the leaders. Remember unity is every-thing in the decision with the team so that a small issue does not become a major issue in the future. The vertical command from God to the church has not been given to marry the community. So those churches that want pastors to visit the sick, marry the people and bury the dead might reconsider their stance for a leading minister.

There are two realities that ministers and churches must take into consideration irrelevant of the decision.

First, ministers and churches must update the constitution and bylaws and administrative poli-cies. It is better to deal with this in the leaders of the church and make a clear presentation to the church. Then the decision must be documented in the rules that govern the church with clear intent to protect both the church and the community. It protects the church based on the people who are there today whom make the decision. It is no dif-ferent than churches years ago placing guidelines in the same documents that the church cannot hire a minister who has been divorced. Churches today are not so critical about it anymore, but the leaders decided that on that day due to their his-tory that it would be better to decide on a minister not divorced. It protects the community primar-ily because it gives a clear understanding that the church loves the people but will not choose to participate in the matter. When the community is told yes or no by an individual then it is defined as the church is choosing with whom to participate. But when the policy of the church is presented to the community then the understanding is that the church took time to address it prior to the pre-

The American Church Magazine® November 2014 16

sentation of yes or no. In addition churches must decide how they will or will not participate for the use of the building, other ministers, and even no participation. It is no different than a church refus-ing to participate or allowing their building to be used in any community action such as Right to Life, ACLU, individual business meetings, etc. All church-es who hold a non-profit status must be aware that allowing your building to be used for business or political agendas can be deemed has having an individual gain or political influence.

Secondly, ministers and churches must present clear reasons of why and why not to the commu-nity if asked. Media preps people and communi-ties that they have rights: when no reason is given as to the church in question’s position then the person sometimes defines it as discrimination. It is irrelevant if your local church will choose to partici-pate in any form or not, your church must begin to use the “One Voice” in all matters with a reason. Presenting ethics or the Bible is not a viable rea-son, but your belief in what the Bible teaches is the validity. Making a clear presentation of your core beliefs about the matter and “the why” in a man-

ner of respect will go farther than the unknown and critical attitude. It is not about marketing to your community, unless you choose to, it is about when you are asked do you have a clear presenta-tion of the why or why not.

Preparation is the key to dealing with sensitive matters in the community. Licensed and ordained ministers (pending on each state) are not required to marry anyone. But the matter at hand is a state issue that we have to address with an under-standing of the consequences as it relates to the community. Definitions from community for your church will happen no matter the choice that you make. This is not going away. The church has been dealt a hand that she must play. Some churches will take this as an opportunity and others will take it as an attack. In either case let’s play the hand with dignity and respect within our communities.

Follow the Church Hoppers: Tweet: @church-hoppers, Facebook: Church Hoppers, and Web: churchhoppers.org

November 2014 17The American Church Magazine®

No Longer Church As Usual

It Ain’t None of Our Business!

The Center for New Testament Development is my ministry work. I started this work in 2010 with the primary mission to plant 21st century churches that reflect the values and operational structure of the first century church. This work is in its infancy, but I see the hand of the Lord opening doors to fulfill some of His purpose for His Church through us.

By Tim Kurtz

During the first week of October, the Center sponsored a two-day strategic summit to seek the mind of the Lord for developing regional New Tes-tament house church networks. Participants came from Texas, Ohio, Virginia, Illinois and Michigan to share and minister to each other. Several topics were discussed, and a framework was established for going forward in 2015. How would I describe that weekend? – One word, powerful.

My purpose this month is not to cover the de-tails of this summit, but rather to share two spe-cific points that were stated during the weekend. As we were discussing the state of the church, two

of the participants made statements that, I be-lieve, are pertinent to my article this month. The first brother shared a unique summary regarding the evolution of the church as we see it today. He said, “In Palestine, the church was a community. To the Greeks, it became a philosophy. In Europe, it evolved into a culture, but in the United States it became a business.” Later that afternoon, another brother pointed out why many pastors are reti-cent about the changing nature of the church. He stated, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something – when his livelihood depends on him not understanding it.” These two poignant state-

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ments formed the framework for the rest of this article.

As much as I hate to agree, it is hard not to see the church in America as a business. In fact, it is a multi-billion dollar business. Studies have shown that most of the money it generates is not to fur-ther the gospel, but rather to maintain its budgets and buildings. I read a study that stated that only about two percent of the funds raised by churches across America go toward missions. The vast ma-jority of money is for maintenance. Most churches are led by paid ‘clergy’. The sole source of income for many of these men and women is their church. They are leading their part of an institution that is in decline. The strain on their church budgets, and the cost of maintaining buildings is slowly eating away at the fabric of many ministries.

Now comes a group of believers like myself and others across the nation who are seeing and advocating for a simpler and more organic church. On the surface, it sounds like a good idea. But when the details are understood, many shirk back as it unravels the church that we are so used to. The need to maintain budgets and buildings often trump the pursuit of God’s purpose. The ‘build-ing’ has become such an iconic part of the church landscape, that some are unable to view the church without it. Face it, most of us erroneously proclaim the dedicated building we worship in as our church.

The role of the ‘clergy’ is threatened by conforming to biblical standards of leadership. This may be why some pastors reject the New Testament house church model. It is a threat to their livelihood. My point is this. There are those among us who desire to see the church, as we know it, transition to a simpler more organic mod-el. This is rejected by some, placated by others, and considered an impossible task among house church proponents. Obviously, I disagree. Not only do I believe the opportunity to transition is vital, but I also believe that it may become necessary. I believe we have a window of opportunity to visit the eternal implications of restructuring the church. I believe it would:

empower every believer to pursue his or • her calling, purpose, and ministry assign-menteliminate systems and processes that dis-• tract from God’s purpose

redirect resources towards building people • more than buildingsnurture leaders who provide protection, di-• rection, and correction to insure the imple-mentation of God’s purpose over trying to maintain a religious systemrestore Jesus Christ as the Head of His • Church, rather than just a product of a reli-gious system model.

Lest you think I am pointing to the average American church only, I must sadly admit that even among simple, organic and house church proponents, their new methodology morphed into a business, too; specifically, among those who tout themselves as the leaders. Follow the money trail. When there was a huge interest in the subject, people would buy their books and flock to their conferences. When house, organic, and simple church methodologies fell short of ex-pectations, the money began to dry up. When the money left, it took the forerunners with it. Some have completely changed the topic as it no longer produces the income they need.

During a time of prayer, the Lord spoke this into my spirit, “Your provision is in your purpose.” I have come to realize that as I pursue God’s pur-pose, He provides the resources to accomplish it. It is, definitely, a new way of thinking. As long as I seek provisions first, the purpose of God always goes lacking. This pattern is peppered throughout scripture – God gives an assignment, then He pro-vides the resources. It is a faith walk.

Prior to leaving Egypt, one of the last instruc-tions Israel was given was to take the jewels from their captors. God gave them favor with the Egyptians and they left with tremendous wealth (Exodus 11:2-3). Think about this for a moment. Israel was leaving Egypt wealthy, but with no real place to spend what they had. When they had the opportunity to enter their land of promise, they failed, and was relegated to forty years in the wil-derness (Numbers 14:33-34). But later, the story takes another interesting turn.

Moses, went up into the mountain to be with God. He was there for forty days. In his absence, the people became restless and impatient. They approached Aaron and convinced him to make a molten calf they could worship (Exodus 32:1-6). This idol was made out of gold – the same gold they had taken from Egypt – the same gold God

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had intended for them to establish an economy in the promise land. They took the gold and did what churches do; they lost sight of their purpose. Whenever you lose sight of your purpose, you end up making your provision your god.

Yes, finances are needed for ministry, but we must revisit our pursuit of it.

By no means am I diminishing the need for financial resources in ministry. It should not be the main thing. My concern is when most of your energy is spent pursuing resources, it becomes easy to lose sight of the purpose. Money should follow the mission God has given you. In my book, No Longer Church As Usual, I said, “Whenever there is a change in structure, it usually creates a change in all subsequent processes.” The church is in transition, we cannot ignore the change that will inevitably impact the flow of money in the church. We are sticking our head in the prover-bial sand, if we ignore the fact that our current church systems run more like businesses than the organic, simple covenant body of believers we see throughout the New Testament.

The American church did not become a busi-ness overnight. The business model crept in slowly. Over time, our beliefs became the calling card we use to attract adherents to our brand of Christianity. The theology of most churches gradually became a little more than products of the business. Survival of the business became the primary focus. It forces church boards and leader-ship to weigh its needs before they consider the needs of those they serve. It forges unhealthy, and at times, ungodly relationships with world sys-tems. From time to time it demands compromise of biblical values in order to survive. The busi-ness model is strong and powerful. It has become so normal that we fail to realize that instead of trusting Him to provide, we have given birth to so many Ishmaels that we believe their presence is normal. Until we address the business model, our efforts will continually fall on the ears of those who ‘fail to understand’; because their livelihood demands that they not understand.

Jesus is still building His Church – His way in the 21st Century. It is not a business. He is build-ing a vibrant community of believers. He is com-mitted to providing for His Church. Remember, after instructing Adam to be fruitful, multiply, replenish, and subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28), God immediately assured them that He had pro-

vided everything they needed to succeed. “See, I have given you…” (Genesis 1:29), is still His heart for the church today (Psalms 23:1; 2Corinthians 9:8; Philippians 4:19); let’s allow Jesus to care for His Church. Whenever He gives an assignment, He gives a consignment. His Church is His responsibil-ity.

His Church is an army of blood-washed believ-ers who are going into all the world making dis-ciples of every nation (Matthew 28:19). Paul asked a significant question, “Who goes to war at their own expense?” (1Corinthians 9:7). The warrior’s expense is the responsibility of the government he serves. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God. The church is the earthly representative of His Kingdom. The church has been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. It’s time my friend for the church to close for business and reignite her passion for God’s purposes (Ephesians 3:10). Blessings!

Website: www.ntcdonline.orgTwitter: @timkurtz712