The Past is the Hero/ The Church Refused to Look Like the Community

The Past is the Hero.

The Common Thread.

The most common thread of deceased churches was that they focused on the past.

The clung to the past with desperation and fear.

Change.

Why is it hard for people to change?

A. Thought process.

We think what we know and what we have experienced.

Our past understanding of life determines our outlook.

B. Gods design.

God made people with a basic instinct to resist change. With out this we would change who we are on a daily or weekly basis. So much so that this week we may not even recognize the us of last week.

C. Fear.

Ultimately, fear of adapting to what we have not experienced or away from what we know to work is fearful.

You will hear people say things like, “Go ahead, do it your way. But, when it blows up don’t come crying to me.” Or something like this, “These young people don’t know what they are doing. They need to learn the way I do it.”

In the church it may look like this, “Everyone needs to stay away from (Fill in the blank), this is my ministry and they will mess it up.”

When we say something like this what we are really saying is I’m fearful they will destroy what I have built, or I’m fearful they will do it better than me.

This can be seen especially through demeaning comments when someone exceeds where others have not.

Not only is the past the Hero, but we are the heroes of our own past.

Everyone loves a hero.

Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the Heroes of Faith.

Yet, what made them heroes?

They are listed here because they forsook themselves and what they were familiar with and instead followed God. In many ways this is the opposite of what if found in dying churches.

In Hebrews 11, the “Good ole days” did not exists.

On May 18, 1980 Harry Randal Truman would not leave his home, despite being warned that St Helens would explode.

He died that day because he could not let go of his home, even if it meant dying.

What do churches cling to?

Worship styles, order of service, worship times, buildings, rooms, programs, and procedures.

Most of all, they cling to their own needs instead of the needs of others.

Philippians 2:3–4 NKJV

3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Questions:

Are there any areas in your church where you are resisting change simply because of your own preferences?

What is the common theme among the Heroes of Hebrews 11?

The church refused to look like the community?

The church did not change as the community did. Thus, the community did not feel that it was a part of the church so they moved elsewhere. The youth went somewhere else, young families found another church to attend. Or some left church altogether. The church’s primarily consisted of older congregants.

The church became a fortress.

The key became to keep people and possessions safe inside and to keep people on the other side out.

Most church’s will deny this. However, the communities felt they were unwelcome.

Why? Because the people in the church were more focussed on ensuring nothing changed then they were reaching the community.

This is their dying words, “We will fight to keep the church just the way it is (I like it) until it dies.”

Others First = Life. Me First = Death.

Dying churches are concerned with self-preservation

You can self-examine by seeing if the church looks like the community.

Economically, racially, age, gender.

Questions:

When does a church act like a fortress?

What does a “Fortress Church” look like?