Churches That Will Thrive in Our Present Age
This article series shares Twitter posts from Pastor Erik as articles for anyone to read, whether you have access to Twitter or not. You can find Erik's original Twitter thread here.
The seeker-sensitive movement of the 90s and early 2000s thrived in a culture with some semblance and vestige of Christian commitments. So they could entertain and do cute stuff. We live in different times.
Churches that will thrive in our present age are those
that provide substantive teaching in all
aspects of their ministries: worship, kids, students, and discipleship.
Genuine believers are craving depth and want to be
equipped to stay the course in the chaos of our culture.
People need churches that understand the times. We’re in white-water rapids, not calm pool conditions. Everything in their lives feels unstable. They want their church to anchor them in the truth. Ministries that don’t match that reality will feel disconnected from their lives.
*So sing rich theology.
*Recite truth through creeds.
*Teach the Bible, explain theology.
*Weave apologetics into all things.
*Practice what you preach through mercy ministries and missions.
*Celebrate communion.
*Ground kids and students in theology & apologetics.
Churches that commitment themselves to doing these things (even imperfectly), and understand the times, will continue to reach people and become a refuge for folks that feel exhausted by the weekly grind of being a Christian in this culture. The sheep will find green pastures.
And this isn’t just about worship gatherings. It’s about our plan for discipleship and equipping the saints. It includes our witness in the community we live in, and the nations. We’re not only called to help people survive the white-water rapids, but to make them lifeguards.
There will always be goats drawn to self-help entertainment style churches. But the true sheep will crave churches of substance…where the Triune God is exalted in faith and practice, word and deed. The future belongs to these churches. May their tribe increase.
Erik is the Pastor of The Journey Church in Lebanon. He also founded Knowing Jesus Ministries, an organization which exists to proclaim timeless truth for everyday life. He is married to Katrina, and has three children: Kaleb (who went to be with the Lord), Kaleigh Grace, and Kyra Piper.
TOPICS
- Cultural Christianity, Post-Christianity, Relativism, The Church