The numbers are amazing. Experts estimate that nearly 1,000 local churches close each year. What is even more devastating about this statistic is that this figure only reflects the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention in the United States, my name. Imagine how this number increases if we add the number of local churches to other established denominations that also close, which some estimate between 3,500 and 4,000 churches a year in the United States. Needless to say, we have an epidemic on our hands. it continues to build its church through the establishment of churches, these churches have not been established and have remained proportional to those that have closed permanently each year.
It is good and right to be overwhelmed by the weight of the reality of extinction of local churches that were once like gospel beacons in their communities. The shepherds give up. Beautiful historic church buildings are auctioned off to the highest bidder. To be sure, the weight felt by many of those who love Christ’s wife is a burden that we too must feel. The weight of this burden has led to an unprecedented movement to be made. something about these dying churches. Appearing in several denominations, this movement has been described as the “revitalization of the Church” and/or “church replanting”.
- Having.
- In my own pastoral ministry.
- Engaged in the work of revitalization before the beginning of this movement and having observed the movement throughout this time.
- I have commonly noticed two approaches that do not help much to be followed: pragmatism and purism.
Pragmatism
Proponents of pragmatism seek to revive and grow the dying church through intelligent artifice and engaging programs that work to produce the specific results desired. These results are generally based on numbers, motivated by strong evangelization efforts that rely heavily on the skills and gifts of men. The verbal recognition of the Bible and the Spirit of God and these having space in the mixture prevails the desire for visible and numerical results and the guidance of work, the power of revitalization is ultimately in the wisdom of men. Therefore, results and attractiveness, become more important than fidelity in a specific purpose that God may have for his church and that does not produce the same numerical results.
For those who follow pragmatism, the desired numerical result becomes the end that justifies embracing all the means necessary to achieve it.
Purism
The purist addresses the task of revitalizing a church strictly in adheres to biblical principles, based on the centrality of God’s Word, which often manifests itself in a firm commitment to biblical forms of worship, although this approach has many aspects that make it advisable. , there is at the same time a subtle danger hidden in this approach that can be a trap, and it is in the central motivations of the pastor who directs revitalization, if he is not careful, the convictions of the pastor can leave almost imperceptibly. from the conviction of the centrality of god’s Word to the conviction not to be pragmatic, so the purist rejoices in being unattractive and anti-creative, and proudly rejects anything that may seem like entertainment or consumerism and banality. himself firmly in the promises of the power of the word of God to give the congregation a revitalizing encouragement.
But in reality, the purist simply relies on rigid legalism, intentionally making the church un appealing to discern who is in fact committed to God, His Word, his people, and his church.
The biblical approach
There is a biblical and balanced approach to revitalization work that is more effective and more faithful to God’s plan for the local church. This method is based entirely on the truth that the Spirit of God acting through His Word is the only way to make it come true. spiritual life to the local church and, at the same time, values the truth that it is good and certain that Christ’s wife is beautiful and attractive to God’s people and even intriguing to those who are hostile to Christ in the world.
This approach encompasses both the deep conviction that God’s power through His Spirit and His Word is what work does, as well as the fact that God uses creativity, passion, unique gifts, and zeal for leaders and people to bring their church to life and build. .
This biblical approach holds that the local church must be attractive, but for specific biblical reasons: passionate biblical preaching, loving and sacrificial communion, practical application of the gospel, jealous care of souls, intentional and authentic Christlike evangelization, to name a few. The purpose of this method is to see a new life and encouragement in the local church, but not at the expense of faithful persecution of God’s plan for the local church. The health of the church, according to God’s designs in the Bible, becomes the ultimate goal, not the numbers. God’s power is seen in the way he builds his church the way he wants to build his church, rather than being defined by a worldly standard of success.
It is this more biblical approach that I wish to defend, which defines the vision of how we train men in the Mathena Center for the Revitalization of the Church, as well as in our own local church, who are called to this task begin a noble work that glorifies God There is a singular and special power, a testimony not only of being a local church full of life , but of an old historical church that has been lost, breathing through devices, and which has pleased God to bring it back to life What better testimony is there that God has resurrected the dead than to see that this happens to dead churches around the world?But make no mistake about it. God must do that, only the power of God is sufficient to accomplish this, therefore this must be done in the way that God intended to build his church, with a true and lasting spiritual life returned to these churches in difficulty.
Translation: Fabio Luciano; Review: Yago Martins. Copyright © 2016 Faithful Ministério. All rights reserved. Website: MinisterioFiel. com. br Original: Revitalization of the Church: A Biblical Approach
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