When Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man asks if he can go back from the dead and warn his brother. Jesus said even if a dead man rises and goes back to warn them they won’t listen. They have Moses and the prophets. If that isn’t enough, it won’t matter.
The preacher can say it. Thom Rainer can say it. Stan Granberg can say it. I can say it. None of that will matter if people are entrenched in a culture that is killing them from the inside out but know no other way to operate. It is not uncommon for churches in trouble to call in church consultants and then shoot down all the constructive ideas and paradigm shifts that are offered.
How sad! There is a better way but we have to first be aware how serious our situation really is.
Many of our churches are in trouble. The warning signs are everywhere. What will it take to wake us up? Maybe we are like the church at Sardis in Revelation 3:1 who had a reputation of being alive but were really dead inside.
If you don’t think things are that serious, you aren’t alone. Many churches shut the doors that just five years prior didn’t think things were that serious.
Here is what I want you to do:
1 – Watch the video below
2 – Buy and read Thom Rainer’s book “Autopsy of a Deceased Church” with your church leadership
3 – Have an open conversation about your congregation.
There are many churches that will be gone in five years that still don’t have a clue of that reality. Maybe that will be your church. We can do better.
