Come Let Us Reason Together

Christians should be able to reason and dialogue better than any group of people on the planet. Why? We are Spirit-filled. The apostle John refers to us as people driven by love for one another. I want to discuss a matter that might be a bit uncomfortable for some of you. The sole purpose of my writing this article is to spark or create some ideas and thoughts that you may have suppressed over the years. 

One of the most painful decisions elders and evangelists make is whether to keep the doors of their congregations open. One estimate suggests that over 5,000 churches will close their doors this year. This epidemic is not one that the liberal mainline denominations face alone. The sad truth is, even our own Independent Christian Churches are suffering. 

Jack Reese, in his book At the Blue Hole, has done extensive research into why so many churches in our brotherhood are heading to extinction. He writes, “The rapid numerical decline of Churches of Christ in America is not unique. Church attendance in virtually every Christian group is plummeting. These are the times in which we live. The larger culture is changing massively and quickly. Most of the congregations in the United States are small and getting smaller. Ninety-two percent of them have fewer than two hundred members. The average Sunday attendance nationwide is ninety-four. More than half of the congregations in the country average only thirty-four members.” 

Many of us are praying for spiritual renewal, for another Great Awakening. We want to see the dry bones come back to life (Ezekiel 37:1-14). History is on our side. Just before the Restoration Movement took off, churches across America were in disarray. What I would like all of us to consider is this: Is there another option other than just hobbling along or going completely out of business? 

I have noticed a lot of conversation taking place among some of our brothers regarding merging and joining forces. Take, for instance, what developed in Mechanicsville, Virginia. If you know the history of Compass Christian Church, you know it was named Liberty Christian Church for years. Mike Lyn and E.L. Jones came together and merged Pole Green Christian Church with Liberty, and the two churches went from a combined membership of under 200 to now running over 1,400 each Lord’s Day. 

What stops many church leaders in our movement from having these same discussions? Between growing up in the Christian Church, preaching in a local ministry for over thirty years, and doing church consulting work, I’ve seen and heard a lot. I have found that struggling churches will use a variety of excuses to avoid having this discussion. One excuse given rather frequently is what I refer to as “False Piety.” I have had church leaders in a struggling congregation state that “It would be great if we could merge or work more closely with our sister congregation just down the road, but they are so liberal.” 

We know that pragmaticism and theological liberalism have crept into many a church, but when you boil the concerns down, you find that often it has very little to do with scriptural deviation and more to do with concerns that revolve around music style, methodology, or tradition. Merging with another congregation that has drifted away from sound doctrine would only compound the problem. However, when you see three or four biblically sound churches operating within a stone’s throw of each other, and they are struggling to keep their facilities up with their membership steadily declining, some serious dialogue needs to take place. Imagine if those forces and the talent in those congregations could be shared. How much more could be accomplished for the Kingdom? Not to mention, now you have “critical mass” in the worship services. 

Again, to come together, both parties must agree on matters of doctrine, not in matters of opinion. When I asked Jeanette to be my wife, it didn’t take long for us to realize we differed on so many things. She won’t let me decorate the house because she doesn’t think I have good taste. She hates my driving; in fact, I hate my driving. However, when it comes to how we raised our girls and the place God and His Word had in our home, we were in total agreement. You get the point. When you contemplate a merger and allow for freedom in non-essentials and focus on the absolutes, great things can happen. 

An alternative deserving thorough consideration involves transferring the assets of a declining congregation to a thriving one, thereby enabling them to apply their expertise toward revitalizing and advancing a broader vision. My friend Curt Leanord preached for years at the Southside Christian Church in Sarasota, Florida. Over time, the church began to dwindle, and staying open was not an option. He reached out and met with the Florida Church Planters. They came in and revitalized the facility and provided fresh wind for the congregation. Curt has stayed on as the property manager, and the church is relaunching as Coastline Christian Church. An intentional vision will now provide the work to continue now more effectively. 

My good friend Dave Jones preaches at the Millwood Church of Christ in Millwood, Ohio. Not long ago, a struggling sister congregation in the area gave the Millwood leaders their property and assets so that Millwood, which is a strong, dynamically-sound church, could expand. It’s amazing how much we can accomplish for the Kingdom when we only care that Jesus Christ gets the credit. 

Finally, an option that is probably the least attractive but certainly one that needs to be entertained is giving the assets to another mission work, or ministry that has proven itself to be biblically sound and faithful to the truth. In other words, the work can continue vicariously through another ministry. It may be a foreign mission work, church camp, or para-church organization. The point I want to make is this: Dying churches don’t self-correct themselves. The church is an organism made up of people. When people stop being part of the church, then you cease to have a church. Wayne Smith used to say, “The church is the only business that can go into business, go out of business, and still stay in business.”  

Again, my goal is simple: To get preachers and leaders thinking. It is not my role nor the role of the Christian Restoration Association to dictate to churches their future. It is the role of this magazine to challenge us all to think and to ask the tough questions and pray earnestly for the Spirit’s guidance.