60-80% of the churches in America are plateaued or declining.
- In addition, the median age is rising.
- More funerals.
- Less young people.
If you belong to a church like that – you need a wake-up call.
- It’s called an “awakening.”
- People in the church wake up to the reality of the beginning of the end of church as they know it.
Your church is at a turning point.
- God is getting your attention, your potential is great.
- If God does not have your attention, you might live long enough to close your church.
There are many key elements to what we call “renewal” of your church.
- One of the most important is how you self-identify.
- Are you a church member?
- Are you a missionary?
This is the foundational step of perception:
- According to Jesus, you are both!
When we analyze a church, we ask a lot of questions. One of my favorites is this: “How many of you know a missionary, personally?”
What happens? A few raise their hands.
We ask them to go home and look into a mirror, and say, “I am a missionary.”
The word “mission” comes from the word “send” in latin.
- Latin was the language of the Bible prior to the Reformation.
- Jesus said, “As the Father sent me, I send you” (John 20:21).
Before He ascended into heaven, Jesus gave His final command…”You will be witnesses of (for) me.”
- In Jerusalem—your home area.
- In Samaria—to other cultures.
- In Judea—the larger territory of your region.
- To the end of the Earth.
And so we begin a series of these blog posts on witnessing. You can also subscribe to my podcast on Apple Podcast and Google Play. We will expand on this theme further in our series beginning on March 6, 2018.
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