The kingdom of God is expansive. Jesus parables in Matthew 13 demonstrate that over and over. We see the church around the world expanding…but not as much in America. Why?
Here are 10 reasons why the church often fails to expand and all these things are totally fixable!
1 – Disobedience/not doing what God clearly said to do. Like the great commission…or praying continually…or fasting…you get the idea!
2 – Denominational Hierarchies – systems that keep certain people in certain places and exclude others from places God may want to place them.
3 – Desire and retain power rather than be servants
4 – Lack of transparency because it might hurt the brand (coverups, gaslighting, etc all hinder it)
5 – Fear – Fear of failure. Fear of what they will say. Fear it has never been done!
6 – Mistrust – skepticism about our fellow Christians hampers kingdom growth.
7 – Rejecting the Holy Spirit – The Holy Spirit is the growth engine of the church. Reject the Spirit and you will get stuck.
8 – Heresy hunting – more time is wasted that could have been invested in the local church/mission.
9 – Following the fad/trend rather than following the Word. Might get quick “Growth” but it won’t be any depth.
10 – Leadership hypocrisy – being one thing in front of the crowd but leading a secret life behind the scenes. The integrity gap will eventually bring the leader down and stifle the progress of the church.
Bonus – Business mindset – treating church as a business enterprise rather than a living organism that needs to be nurtured.
What would you add or take away?
One Response
The failure to abide by what both Paul wrote about maintaining the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, and what Jesus prayed for in John 17:20-23, regarding that the Church be one, as he and the Father are one. Disunity within the body of Christ will stifle its ability to manifest the mature image of Christ.