I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive — but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don't wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. – Revelation 3:1-3
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there was a little church of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. This church had a long and proud history in its land, and the people of this church believed that God would bless them for their faithfulness forever. Every Sunday the little congregation gathered to worship its Lord in a dignified and orderly manner. But the years went by and slowly the congregation began to fall asleep, and attendance at the little church started to fall quietly away.
First the younger people left and later the Sunday school shut down. The younger generation was bored and disinterested in what the little church had to offer. The message of the good news of Jesus Christ was not being presented to them in a manner which ignited their interest or held their attention. The culture in the land was changing at a pace unprecedented in its history, but the little congregation insisted that the Lord must be worshipped in the same way. The young people said “Okay,” and they registered their kids in Sunday morning hockey or went Sunday shopping or slept in.
The people told themselves, “Young people aren't interested in religion, there is nothing we can do.” And so one by one the people of the little church grew older and began to die, and soon even the mighty Presbyterian Church Women folded. “What are we to do?” said the session members to each other. “There aren't enough people here to pay our expenses. How will we be able to continue to worship the Lord?”
Two of the elders of the little church joined with their minister to form a committee of session, which grew to include three more people from the congregation. They were charged with finding a solution to this problem. Faithful servants of the Lord, they worked tirelessly to find the clues they needed, and after many months of searching they reported back. “We have sought a vision from God,” they said, “and this is what He told us: We need to open the doors of our little church to everyone in the land. We need to meet the people at the level of their culture and at their point of greatest need, and then we need to deliver the good news of Jesus Christ to them in a way they will enjoy and understand. We need to reach out to everyone in this land, young and old, rich and poor, and be the example of Jesus Christ in word and deed. We need to show our land that this little church has a purpose, and a mission, and that we are ready, able and willing to act on it. We need to explain to everyone in the land who we are, and why we are here, and tell them and show them who their neighbour is — because they no longer know. The people of this land have forgotten about the Lord.”
The session was uneasy. They liked their little church the way it was. They liked the people they had. Most of all they liked the way they worshipped. The committee tried to show the people of the church they had nothing to fear. The minister gave them scriptural assurance that change has been the call of God to his people throughout all time. The committee told stories of other Presbyterian churches that had successfully made the transition from old to new worship styles resulting in phenomenal growth. They asked the people of the little church to read a contemporary translation of the Bible in order to add value and insight to their understanding of the Lord's purposes for his church. They challenged the little church to better discipleship.
Hopefully, they rationalized, this would help the congregation at the little church understand that “reformed and reforming” has been the cry of the Presbyterian Church since its Reformation inception. Most of all, however, the committee longed to show the little church how wonderful the new music of the Christian church could be. They had seen for themselves how younger people in growing Presbyterian churches had positively responded to changes in worship music and worship style – music which did not include the use of an organ. “What,” they asked their people, “would you be willing to give up to bring Jesus Christ back to the people of this land?”
The people of the little church listened to the committee but they didn't like what they heard. It was a John:1 kind of thing; the people saw the light, but they preferred the darkness. The committee knew that unless the little church could grasp and truly understand its biblical reason for existence (and then embrace what it has been commanded to do) then there was little reason for them to continue as a congregation in the church of Jesus Christ. The little church did not have new people coming to it because new people were never truly wanted or even invited. There wasn't any sincere thought put into the fact that younger people, who were so desperately needed in this little church, did not understand or enjoy the traditional worship practices. Especially the organ. What were they willing to give up? Nothing. The people of the little church just didn't see it as their issue. As far as they were concerned, the little church was open for business and everyone was welcome to join them in a service of traditional worship on any Sunday morning at 10:30 — just like the sign on the front lawn said.
The committee of session was disbanded and the minister sent on her way. The two elders and their families left the little church because God had given them a glorious opportunity to see the possibilities available to any church. An exciting church, they had learned, does not need be an oxymoron. To be an exciting church you simply need to have excited Christians. The little church had been far from either.
Today the congregation at the sleepy little church continues to worship in a land not so far away. Their finances are faltering and they are without a minister. There appears to be no particular anxiety about death at this little church. It is accepted, and so far as God allows these things to be seen, there will not be a fairy tale ending. Their light is very dim, and they will sleep away their existence until they breathe no longer.
If the little church described in this sad tale is reminiscent of your church, then take heed, my dear Christian friend. The Lord is bringing in his harvest. Ask yourself this: Is your declining congregation being pruned in order to produce more growth? Or will it be cut and burned because you have not produced any fruit at all? (John 15:1-8)
Wake up!
