The Challenge for theChurch
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
The Challenge for theChurch
• Church often has to be reactive to crises
• This is perhaps the most challenging time in American history for growing great families
• The church (our church) must be PROACTIVE
Time
• Southern Baptist churches have had a similar format for many decades
• We have been “program based”
• We have a similar schedule
Time
• Sunday– “Brotherhood” (1X month) early– Sunday School (9, 9:15, 9:30)– Worship (10:30; 10:45:11:00)– CT (5:00 or so) Youth and Children’s Choirs– Worship (6:00-6:30)
• Wednesday– Missions Programs; “Prayer Meeting”– Choir Practice
Time
• THAT WAS 50 YEARS AGO
• What do we see today?
• We have kept the same format with a little rearrangement of the deck chairs
Time
• The Result?
– We are not reaching the current generation
– We are not keeping up with the birth rate
– We are losing the ones we have
Time
• Part of the reason is TIME
• The life pattern of the American family has changed; we have not adjusted and we are often trying to force families into models that do not work for them.
Time
• What Can We Do?
– Study where they are and how we can help them
– Expand our format– Cut where necessary– Streamline
Fragmentation
• We are ministering to a fragmented generation
– People growing up without wisdom of grandparents
– People with trust issues– People with ignorance regarding basic family
life (life skills)
Fragmentation
• Blended families with their own set of problems
• We are following models of ministry that reflects an old context
• We segment our ministries (Titus 2:3-7)
Fragmentation
• We need families together more when we are here
• We need to deliberately structure ministry so younger people can be around older people
Dissonance
• There is discord in how families today put the faith together.
• They don’t see how faith and life fit together
• We don’t integrate well the whole picture for them.
Dissonance
• That is one reason our families are not holding together in the faith.
• We must build models that give them the big picture; We must prepare them for assaults on their faith (apologetics)
Dissonance
WE MUST HELP THEM SEE THE MISSION OF THE KINGDOM OF WHICH THEY ARE A PART