Over the last four decades, those of us at Church Doctor Ministries have been fanatically focused on helping churches—God’s precious people—to become effective missionaries right where the Savior has placed them: in your church, in your community.
Many Christ-followers have seen the vision, caught the passion of Jesus, and reignited their lives to become missionaries to those in their social networks who are not yet believers. In the process, we have had the privilege of serving 1,800 congregations from 78 denominations in North America—and training tens of thousands of Christians on six continents.
What is the result? As you might imagine, some “get it,” and others remain “lost in the weeds” of doing church in maintenance mode. And their congregations are aging and declining. “It’s easier to give birth than to raise the dead,” my mission professor told our class of pastors. One of my classmates, Rick Warren, got it. Our Church Doctor next-generation leader, Dr. Tracee Swank, and I recently had the opportunity to visit Rick’s church, Saddleback, in southern California. Rick is retired now, but the movement continues to move. We observed over a dozen children being baptized. There is “proof” like this everywhere. Some churches get “it.” Yet, other churches maintain, age, and decline.
The Stuck Movement
As you know, the movement of Jesus isn’t making the greatest impact everywhere in every church. In fact, over the last four decades, the Christian church in North America is losing ground. Does this impact your nation, the future, your grandkids, and life in general? You bet it does!
Before you shake your head in disgust, get overwhelmed in personal regret, blame your pastor, or think the future is hopeless and you can’t do anything about it—pause! Say a prayer. And if you dare, ask God to speak so strongly to your heart and mind that you are moved to a new sense of openness. Allow God to move even the smallest piece of you that is part of the spiritual problem. Ask the Lord to give you a sense of openness to what He wants you to do: in you, among your friends, and in your church.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, a few Christ-followers can make a huge difference in this world. Jesus basically started with 12. Judas didn’t make it, but Jesus supplied Paul. You see, God desperately wants you, me, and our churches to take the power of Jesus to our world.
Yet, it’s so easy to get caught up in “church” stuff, stuck in maintenance mode with well-meaning believers wrapped in rituals. We become so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. Consumer Christianity cripples. Don’t misunderstand. In Christ, you are born again and nurtured into discipleship. Yet, it’s not all about you—or me. We are blessed—which means divinely happy in Jesus. We are blessed to be a blessing. Church is not an organization or just a “place to worship.” Church is a movement. It moves you to move others, to multiply the eternal power of Jesus and His life-giving miracles.
God uses ordinary people like you and me. By the power of His Spirit—the Holy Spirit—we get to be vessels of the divine power that moves mountains of eternal blessing in the lives of others. It is, by definition, our mission.
Mission is messy. It was for Jesus. It is for you and me. Likely, we won’t be nailed to a cross or executed for our faith. But it’s not a “walk in the park,” either. If you want to be faithful to Jesus, do mission. To do mission, you need to learn to be a missionary. I really wanted to be a mission-driven person at the start of God’s journey for me. So, I went to four years of college, four years of seminary, and three years of doctoral studies in graduate school. I learned a lot of good stuff—and I’m grateful. Yet, I didn’t learn how to be a missionary. After a year or so, as a frustrated pastor who desperately wanted to reach lost people for Jesus, I reenrolled in “mission school” while pastoring my church. I learned what they teach those who are “called to be missionaries.” (That usually means you are going to some foreign country.)
Yet, the “mission field” is not just overseas. It may include your neighbor, those at work, a few relatives—maybe one of your adult children or your mom and dad. Your world is a mission field if you are a missionary. You can learn to be a missionary. There are many agencies and ministries—like Church Doctor Ministries—that teach missiology: the work of “missionaries” who want to reach out to others without leaving home. Yes—where you live is a mission field. You know lots of people who have no personal relationship with Jesus. Pray for those people, and don’t be shocked if God makes you the messenger!
Five Roadblocks to Mission Effectiveness
As the median age of church members grows older in many congregations, God begins to demonstrate to numerous Christians—and I hope and pray that includes you!—that among all the good things the church does, we are not always as effective in reaching the largest number of people in our communities. They are those who are “functionally unchurched.” They don’t attend worship ever—not even for Christmas or Easter.
There are also those who do attend on the sacred “holidays” but are likely spiritually detached from a living faith on a daily basis. And they are likely not growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
There are five roadblocks in many churches that distance Christians from mission effectiveness. They are likely not intentional hindrances in your church. They occur from what might be called missional drift—often energized by the enemy’s lie that your nation is “Christian.” Of course, if you watch the news, there is an abundance of proof that your world desperately needs Jesus. YOU need—and your church needs—to have the mind of a missionary, as Jesus has called you.
Roadblock to Mission Effectiveness #1: Pastoral training with minimal missiology
When I graduated from seminary, there were three or four of my classmates who felt called to be “missionaries.” That clearly meant to everyone that they were going “overseas.” It meant that they had to go to a specialized “mission school.” It reflected that the rest of us—called to serve churches in our own country—did NOT get missionary training. This is a similar scenario in numerous denominations. It also means that most pastors are equipped for church maintenance, not community mission. It declares the lie that our own country (or our city) is NOT a mission field. It signals that much of the Christian movement is doomed to disaster. It predicts the decline of faith and the moral decline of the nation.
There are many churches that are exceptions, but not nearly enough to redirect the mission momentum into our own backyards.
So, roadblock #1 is pastoral training with minimal training in mission effectiveness to reach those who are unchurched.
Roadblock to Mission Effectiveness #2: Membership rather than mission
This challenge subtly implies that the growth of the church relies on the babies born to existing members. While raising Christian kids is a biblical priority, it will never produce a revival in the nation. It will never be enough to reverse the secular trends that destroy whole countries. When the focus is exclusively on growing those who are members, the impact on those outside the congregation is minimal. In an increasingly secular society, the local church is doomed for eventual default as the number of funerals greatly eclipses the newborns. The platform is focused on membership rather than mission. The church chooses to focus on nurturing members—which is great. Growing disciples is a vital part of the Christian adventure. However, when the focus is on members, the mission is diminished. The potential for explosive growth—often called a “revival”—is truncated by a subtle but limited focus on the members, with little impact on unbelievers. The primary focus is on members rather than mission.
So, roadblock #2 is to move the goal of the church beyond good members to include each member’s focus on mission. Your unchurched friends, neighbors, relatives, fellow workers, and classmates are your mission field. You are the missionary, and your church should train you.
Roadblock to Mission Effectiveness #3: Politically driven church governance
It may come as a surprise to you and to other congregational members as well as denominational leaders: Robert’s Rules of Order are not in the Bible. They are not spiritual and not helpful. The decision-making approach for operating the body of Christ is based on Scripture. Most church constitutions are based on secular rules rather than on biblical, New Testament design. The disciples fell into this trap when they wanted to replace Judas. They used a crude form of voting by drawing straws. Matthias “won”—and you never hear about him again! It’s as if the Holy Spirit was saying, “My ways are not your ways.” In fact, the risen Jesus chose the 12th apostle on the road to Damascus. His name is Paul. He was called, not elected.
God does have a pattern for “doing church business.” It includes some important dimensions: Scripture, prayer, and discipling. However, votes, debates, politics, rules of order, and parliamentary procedure are not the model of the New Testament church.
So, roadblock #3 is the political structure in most churches and denominations. You can restructure your church decision-making process so it is totally based on Scripture, prayer, and discipling.
Roadblock to Mission Effectiveness #4: Consumer mentality
Consumerism is easy to spot in many churches. It focuses on the question: “What is the will of the people?” However, in the body of Christ, the church, the will of God rules. Or at least it is supposed to take precedent. We even pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “We want what you want—Your will be done—here on earth, just like it occurs in heaven.” When it comes to mission and ministry, Scripture is so clear about what God wants. It is never about what His followers want. In fact, we confess—and believe—that His will is best and that we want it for our lives, our churches, and our world.
Yet so much of our world is driven by consumerism. Jesus clarifies what it means when we call Him “Lord.” Even in the commandments, we confess that there are “no other gods” before Him. But the consumer mentality is strong. It has the power to disrupt whole churches. It has disrupted entire denominations and other Christian movements. While it may seem counterintuitive to humans, by faith we declare that His will is perfect.
So, roadblock #4 is the consumer-driven decisions and actions that are more the will of the people than the will of God, according to Scripture. You can focus on the will of God, according to Scripture.
Roadblock to Mission Effectiveness #5: Inflammation of the fellowship
Church is supposed to be your spiritual family. It is one of the greatest blessings of faith. The fellowship of the church reflects love when you are unlovable, support when you fail, and forgiveness when you mess up. There is nothing quite like it. When fellowship is healthy, when it carries the biblical intent, acceptance and love have no boundaries. The blessing is eternally endless.
However, when fellowship becomes the driving purpose of your faith, your church, and your Christian service, you can become so heavenly minded you are of no earthly good. Jesus demonstrated—and loved—the fellowship. He had a great time at a wedding, even miraculously supplying more wine. He made sure the disciples were imprinted with the value of fellowship with other believers. Fellowship is never a goal or an end. When congregations overdo fellowship at the expense of mission, they suffer from inflammation of the fellowship. The unique design of spiritual fellowship is so attractive, it can become a roadblock to mission.
Obviously, the disciples loved the fellowship with Jesus and one another. Jesus demonstrated the joy of fellowship with the disciples and a wider group of followers. Yet, He never traded it for the hard, painful, bloody mission that would end His earthly life on the cross.
Celebrate your church’s fellowship. Yet, never sacrifice the mission on the altar of fellowship. We Christians have love to share, but mission to accomplish.
So, roadblock #5 is inflammation of the fellowship, when we like being with our fellow Christians so much that we lose sight of our mission to seek and save the lost by introducing them to Jesus. Reach others for Jesus so they experience His fellowship—and change their lives.
Hope
If your church is challenged, ask God for an infusion of hope. Churches that are declining and/or aging are still the body of Christ—the resurrected Christ. Put your hope in Jesus and His promises. Place your priorities in His mission. He gives us the privilege to join Him and change the world, one person at a time. He gives us the opportunity to renew His movement, one person at a time, one church at a time.
Dr. Kent Hunter is the founder of Church Doctor Ministries, a mission to help the local church renew, revive, and thrive. He is the author of Who Broke My Church? 7 Proven Strategies for Renewal and Revival. He has written 35 books aimed at helping Christians like you to renew the Christian movement and reach our world for Jesus.