I have just
returned from England, where I was speaking to several groups of leaders of the
Anglican Church, as a part of a series of lectures on “Effective Evangelism
Today”. I was excited about this
opportunity to get acquainted with these British church leaders, to sense their
commitment, their interest and their concern. I was most impressed with the denominational leaders and their desire to
be more effective in reaching new people for Christ today. I was also very excited about new
methodologies that are being used there, and their openness to new approaches
to help the Church.
I am
concerned about what is happening to the Church in England as it compares to
what is happening to the Church in the United States. In the U.S., we are experiencing decline in
all of the mainline denominations. Church
leaders are closing churches; we have inadequate finances, and declining
attendance. We have a crisis in the Church
in the U.S., and we must respond, so that God’s Church can be strong and vital
to reach new people for Christ. In
visiting England, I realized they have experienced this decline in a more
significant way than we have in the U.S. And that simply reminds me of how serious the issue is for God’s Church
around the planet. Certainly there are
places across the globe where the Church is vital and growing, and filled with
excitement and success. But the sad reality
is that there are many places, particularly in the so-called ‘western world’,
where the Church is declining in a significant way.
In Scotland,
we met a leader of the Methodist Church.
He explained that in the city of Edinburgh, the number of Methodist
Churches had dwindled down to five. The five of them got together and decided
there weren’t enough people, so they combined everyone together in one
church. Now, on most Sundays, there will
be as many as 100 people. Only one
hundred Methodists in a city of over a half million – that’s a significant
decline!
In England, we visited lots of interesting
sights. At one point we were shown a
series of garden areas on a church property. Around one of the beautiful ponds, there were rock markers. One of the old buildings stones, in fact,
marked the garden areas. On one corner
there was a stone that looked somewhat like the top of a steeple. I asked the pastor who was showing us around
what it was, and he said this was the top of a church that had been torn down
some years ago. All across England, we
saw beautiful church buildings used for meeting halls; one was a café and retail
store. Beautiful old cathedrals now
empty of any church relationships, and serving meals and merchandise, rather
than Jesus.
The leaders
of the churches in England are trying hard to change the negative trend. I’m enthused about any help that I can
give. But the picture of that church
steeple now in a rock pile around a garden reminded me of how critical our
efforts are.
The secular
society that we live in today will put the Church in a rock pile. We must change that enthusiastically,
effectively, and immediately!
For information
on doing evangelism more effectively and ending this epidemic of Church
decline, please visit Leadership Nexus Foundation
online or contact
me today!
