Things change and that is understandable. As long as it does not violate the principles of Scripture and righteousness, there is nothing wrong with changing some things. I have told several younger preachers that they need to find what works in their area, rather than just following what they were told in school that worked fifty years ago.
“Religious Surveys” were a big thing when I was in Bible schools in the beginning in 1979 and the early 80’s. The school [connected to a church, so they used students to build up the church] would send us out under the guise of doing a religious survey in the area, and then use that to witness and try to get the people to come to church. I always felt devious doing them and after a while simply refused to do so. The point is, to go up to a stranger’s house in 2025 and start asking about the ages of the children living there would definitely get you hurt. Things change.
One of the trends I have seen that is not a good change is the lack of commitment. There is less commitment in the family as they see no need to get married. I have never understood the idea that you are more than willing to share your body with someone but not your checking account. They actually value their money more than their body? But the church is not far behind in this trend.
Many churches now are being built to look like warehouses. I heard from one preacher who built a church like that and said it is because if the church fails, they can easily sell it for a business to use. Other congregations are happy to just rent a place which makes it easy to just quit if times or finances get difficult. I have seen through the years that if someone has a plan B, they are most likely going to end up using it.
But the real tragedy is that this lack of commitment in the family and the church leadership, also extends to the church membership. The idea of church membership does not really hold much weight anymore. People are happy to be part of a fellowship, but there is no real commitment. If they hit a bump in the road, it is easy to just find somewhere else, or even a small group that has no real accountability.
I do not write these things out of desperation of our church finances or attendance. We are doing OK financially and are paying for some large projects without borrowing or begging. Our church family is very faithful in their offerings. As for attendance, in the 40 years I have been a pastor, we do not count how many are there. The church is my family, not my business, and I pray for them by name daily, but I could not tell you how many were there last Sunday, although if you asked me if someone in particular was there, I could probably tell you whether they were or not.
I write because the commitment is Scriptural. God set up two institutions and both require a commitment. The first is the family as seen in Genesis 2:24. The second is the church and that is where the glory of God is, Ephesians 3:21. Satan works hard at wrecking both. If he can destroy the idea of family, then that carries over into the church. If he can destroy the commitment to the church, then he destroys our testimony for Christ. You really cannot be disobedient to the command of Christ [Hebrews 10:25] and say you love Christ, or are a disciple of Christ [John 13:35]. Going to church is not just about what you get, but about showing a community that there are still people who believe God, who love Christ, and we are encouraging the other saints that may be going through who knows what.
People expect the pastor to have a commitment to the church, to be a member, to have the attitude that we are going to make this thing work regardless of what comes down the pike. If the economy tanked and the church could not pay me, it does not change my calling. If things get bad on this east coast, it does not change my calling to minister to the people here. Why should I not expect that same commitment from the church family.
If we want our children to have a family of their own someday, we need to set the example. If we want our children to have a place where they can hear the Bible taught and have the right spirit about doing so, we need to make the commitment now and insure that the church stays on track. [It is my job to preach the Bible, II Timothy 4:2, but it is the congregation’s job to make sure I do. If I do not, then they need to replace me with someone who will.] Some things change like methods or outreach, but the preaching of the word is still the power of God [I Corinthians1:18] and the church is still the love of Jesus Christ. In writing 13 books of the New Testament, Paul wrote to local churches or the people in the local church. Make the commitment.
