Recent statistics show that the number of adults who do not attend church has increased substantially. In Britain and the rest of Europe, Christianity has largely been abandoned. In Canada, only 20% of adults say they attend church regularly. In the US church attendance is as low as 25 to 35%.
The following are three examples of three people who no longer attend church.
Trish is a recently divorced single parent. She's so busy holding down a job and raising her two children, she seldom has time to think about attending church. Trish was hoping to receive help and encouragement from her church but after the separation, no one called to find out how she was doing?
Richard experienced several job changes over the past few years. The job he has now doesn't pay nearly what he used to receive. Richard used to attend church regularly but when his job problems began, he could no longer give what he pledged. Embarrassed, he stopped attending.
Phil and Judy have two young children. Both of them are considering attending a local church but haven't followed through yet. Meanwhile, their next door neighbors drive off every Sunday morning dressed up to go to church but so far have not invited Phil and Judy to join them.
How can we be the church for Trish, Richard, Phil and Judy?
One religious consultant confessed: "As a pastor, I was taught how to make and train members of a local church. Instead, I should have been teaching disciples for Jesus Christ."
Making members instead of leading disciples? What does that mean?
In the Bible, a disciple asks: "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?"
Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." (Mat. 22: 36-40)
Disciples of Jesus learn to ask of themselves:
- How can we better learn to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind?
- What would it mean for the church to truly love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves?
Remember Trish, our divorced, single parent? She was invited by a coworker to a divorce recovery group meeting at a nearby church. Meals and child care was provided by the church so Trish decided to check it out. She never felt more secure and loved. Weeks later, Trish and her children attended worship at the same nearby church. Now, Trish is a leader within the divorce recovery ministry of that same church.
Richard who experienced financial difficulties renewed his friendship with a high school buddy on Facebook. With his friend's encouragement, Richard visited a men's breakfast group that was meeting at his church. Expecting to be shunned and judged for being away, Richard was pleasantly surprised to be warmly welcomed and he discovered that many of the men in the group experienced similar struggles and disappointments. Now, Richard is one of the cooks at the men's group and he took part in starting a group that regularly offers classes to help those who lost their jobs.
Judy received a tweet mentioning a local MOPS group. Curious, she found MOPS on Google and discovered the term stood for Mothers of Pre Schoolers, a faith based group offering support for mothers and their children. Days later, she attended one of their gatherings and found practical advice and an atmosphere of encouragement. While there she was invited to attend a nearby church and check out their pre-school. Now, Phil and Judy volunteer with the children's ministry at that same church.
Yes, the world has changed dramatically over the years but the church can and still does make a difference in the midst of those changes. Just ask Trish, Richard, Judy and Phil.
Questions for taking this Message Farther:
- What is the difference between a member of a church and a disciple of Jesus?
- What can you become more of a disciple?
- Do you know anyone who struggles with issues of trust and faith?
- How can your church create a culture of encouragement and listening?
- How can we be more authentic with each other in sharing our faith?
- How are you sharing your faith at work, on Facebook or in your Tweets?
