This is the first of three articles in which I hope to acknowledge and challenge three main chains hindering the Christian church today. I will not talk about churches that turn from the Gospel of Christ or preach only the gospel of prosperity, for it is already widely known that these acts will stray the church from its heavenly purpose. No, the three focal points I wish to make may surprise you, they may challenge you (I know they challenged me), and they might even offend you. I ask that you hear me out, read carefully, and above all, search your soul in the presence of Christ to see if any of this rings true. Are you ready? The first is attendance.
Every person reading this (and those that won’t read this) has an image in their heads of what the church should look like. They have an image in their mind of what the optimal church resembles and how things should be conducted. Maybe this image is one of tradi-tional worship with hymns, robes, and stained glass windows. Maybe it is a modern and contemporary setting with multipurpose spaces and current-sounding music. Or maybe your vision of church is in a small intimate space with the sound of voices singing, and fiery preaching. This list could go on and on about people’s personal preferences of the parish. But we all have some idea of what we want our church to be, and that is the first prob-lem.
Most of us can remember the “good old days” of church. When the pews were packed full of persons, families abounded, money rolled in, and all you had to do was create a fun-filled program and the people would just show up! Well, those days have long since passed us by my friends. Sunday morning is now competing with all sorts of forms of entertain- ment. Church competes with shopping, sports, and sleep! The masses that once filled our pews and participated in our programs are now dispersed among us in a variety of different activities. What happened? Did we fail? Well, yes and no.
