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Pro-Spirituality yet Anti-Church
The January 2004 issue of the Christian Current
magazine features some excellent articles addressing the continual decline in
church attendance across Canada. In poll after poll,
Canadians are saying they are pro-spirituality yet anti-church. Spiritual
things attract them, but “church” repels them. On page two of that January
issue, next to the box called “Vantage Points,” are these words: “Nearly 80% of
Canadians say they believe in God, but only 20% worship regularly. What can
Christian churches be doing differently to close this gap?” Following those
words is an article by Joe Couto that attempts to answer this question through
these suggestions:
1. Become a full-time church. Too many
churches are closed except on Sunday. Stop being obsessed with the “worship
service” and more concerned with giving people a place to drop in for coffee, a
place for kids to hang out, somewhere where a needy person can get some food and
where I can use my gifts.
2. Smile. Too many churches are still populated with
stern-looking people more interested in playing “dress up” than in getting to
know people in need.
Those
words should serve as our wake-up call! Personally, I enjoy dressing up for
church; that has been a habit of mine since childhood. However, I would rather
see people come to our Sunday morning worship services dressed in blue jeans
and T-shirts than have them avoid church altogether. Let’s not make a “sacred
cow” out of dress code and decorum. Remember what God told Samuel: “Man looks
at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
We need to do even more to fulfill our church’s Mission Statement, especially as
we seek creative ways to “embrace the community.” Unless people know that we
genuinely care about them, they will continue to consider our church (and all
churches for that matter) as being totally irrelevant. All churches fall into
one of four categories: dead, dying, surviving, or thriving. Let us do our
utmost to ensure that King Street Baptist Church is a congregation that is
truly thriving!
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