THE LIFE-CYCLE OF A CHURCH
By W. Frank Walton
"So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and
Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear
of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued
to increase" (Acts 9:31). Luke describes the church in Palestine
(brethren in the aggregate) as experiencing dynamic growth. In
general, they had their spiritual priorities in place, with a
reverent attitude toward the Lord and reliance on the promises
and guidance given by the Holy Spirit. God's people doing God's
work in God's way will reap God's blessing. How many of us are
bearing "much fruit" (John 15:5) to the Lord's honor and glory?
In a local church, as in our individual lives, we
often pass through different stages in our spiritual
development. The church at Thyatira was improving, though
plagued with false teaching (Revelation 2:19). The church at
Sardis was past its prime (Rev. 3:1-3). The church at Corinth
has some good points and spiritual talent (1 Cor. 1:4-7, 11:2; 2
Cor. 8:7), yet they were plagued church problems due to
carnality (1 Cor. 3:1-3) and a failure to follow through on
their promises (2 Cor. 8:7,10-11; 9:2-5).
Paul teaches that the ideal path of a church is
ever onward and upward: "Be steadfast, immovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is
not in vain" (1 Cor. 15:58). A vibrant life-cycle in the church
comes from the renewal of firm commitment to the Lord and to the
spiritual mission to which we have been called. The Lord's
soul-saving work is the most important work in the world. It
deserves and demands our best effort, both individually and
collectively.
Those who study organizations of people have
observed that most organizations go through 3 stages in its
life-cycle: (1) risk-taking stage, (2) caretaking stage, (3)
undertaking stage. Let's see how this might apply to the
life-cycle of a church.
1. Risk-Taking Stage. A new or small congregation
often struggles. Yet, everyone must pull their own weight to not
pull others down. Members are willing by faith to take risks to
advance the cause of Christ, or as Jesus put it, to "launch out
into the deep" (Luke 5:4). The adventure of faith means
commitment to work hard and sacrifice to build up the local
church in doing the Lord's work.
Such characterized the church at Philippi in
zealously supporting gospel preaching (Phil. 4:15-16). The
Lord's church in Rome was widely known for their active,
aggressive and encouraging faith (Romans 1:8,12). The churches
of Macedonia were materially poor but rich in dedication and
sacrifice that even the apostle Paul marvelled (2 Cor. 8:1-5).
In this stage of growth, members gladly volunteer
their involvement. Members are active and aggressive in
evangelism and inviting others to church, like the newly planted
church at Thessalonica (1 Thess. 1:8). Launching out in this
daring faith means a church has the willingness to face the
possibility of failure, problems, rejection or difficulty in
doing the Lord's work. The Thessalonian church had this bold
devotion for Jesus, because of their idealist, vibrant spiritual
traits: active faith, loving service, and steadfast hope in the
Lord's second coming (1 Thess. 1:3). This is why the gospel grew
and was glorified among them (2 Thess. 3:1).
2. Caretaking Stage. The church at Laodicea thought
they had "arrived." They smugly thought that we "have need of
nothing" (Rev. 3:17). Yet the Lord evaluated them accurately,
"You are lukewarm" (Rev. 3:16a). His sobering warning of
"repent!" (Rev. 3:19) or else would apply to all churches today
who are smug and self-satisfied. Lukewarm churches that are
content to putter along make the Lord sick!: "I will spit (or
vomit) you out of my mouth" (Rev.3:16b). The caretaking church
loses it vision of ever expanding growth, thereby missing its
sense of mission and spiritual urgency.
After a church has grown, it is easy to drift into
a "comfort zone." A nice building is built. They hire a good
preacher who will do their work for them. There's usually enough
members now that things that have to be done will eventually get
done. Maintaining the status quo becomes a rut. This church
seeks to "hold its own." Members become weary of work and
sacrifice. Religion becomes more of convenience instead of
conviction. Is the church where you attend satisfied with the
"status quo" and "holding your own."?
3. Undertaker Stage. If a church remains in the
caretaker stage long enough, it will soon be ready for the
undertaker. The Lord said of Sardis, "You are dead" (Rev. 3:).
They were existing on their past reputation: "You have a name
that you are alive" (Rev. 3:1). This rut has become "a grave
with both ends knocked out." Someone at such a church may say,
"The church here is at peace." This means someone needs to come
preach their funeral so they can "rest in peace." There's not
enough life to cause a stir about anything, either good nor bad.
A church in the undertaker stage lives in the past. Or, they may
think they're a good church because they have much potential
that one of these days could be developed, if they really put
their mind to it. Also, they think they are a sound church
mainly because they have good intentions and theoretically stand
for the truth on all the important issues.
As a member of a local church, how do YOU fit into
that church's life-cycle? Make sure that you help the local
church to renew itself by the Word of Christ in following
Christ. Then by "speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up
in all aspects into Him" (Eph. 4:15).
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