Devotionals

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In the 21st century what makes a church successful? Is it the number of members? Is it the worship music? Is it the programs that are offered to those seeking to serve? Is it the zeal or charisma of the Head Pastor or his great teaching? Or is it the simple message that Jesus came to die for us so that we wouldn’t have to? Or is it all of the above? In a recent Gallop poll (562 church goers in 2007) it was found that most people attended church for “spiritual growth and guidance” (23%) and “keeps me grounded and guided” came in second at (20%). The rest of the numbers show that most people go to church not for the music but for the teaching! Paul would be very happy to see that the church today still wants sound teaching that helps people understand how to live in Christ. These numbers show that a successful church is a church that teaches correctly the Word of God in a way that people grow in Christ on a weekly basis. In Paul’s day, the church had to wait until his next letter to receive this correction from someone who spoke to the Holy Spirit daily. Today, the church gets this correction every week, sometimes more. The two biggest reasons people leave the church are poor leadership and wanting a different style (Lifeway/2004). Most people do not leave a church that is teaching sound doctrine. If Paul could speak today, I wonder just how angry he would be at our churches for some of the things that go on that do not have anything to do with sound teaching. The numbers prove that, if you are teaching and expounding the word correctly, people will stay as long as they feel they are growing in their walks with Christ.

References

http://www.gallup.com/poll/27124/just-why-americans-attend-church.aspx

http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_PDF_Why_Members_Leave.pdf

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