“The Church exists by mission as fire exists by burning. Without mission there is really no Church” - Emil Brunner

|PIC1|Every year I have the opportunity to travel to Asia, Europe and North America to minister in many different churches. I meet on a regular basis with Christians and Christian leaders across the globe. What I want to share with you is that I feel spiritual sadness in my heart regarding the condition of the church today, especially in the developed world. Most of the churches in the West do not have a real vision to pray for and serve the lost, and to send missionaries into the lost world. Often pastors mention something about missions and serving just before the collection is taken. But sometimes I wonder if this is more a ploy to motivate people to give, to ease people’s mind about the money that goes in the offering, rather than genuine concern. Occasionally, such churches collect funds for short-term mission trips, or a specific project overseas, but they do not have a solid plan or even the intention to send out and support career missionaries. I have this message to share with such churches: “discover mission or die.”

|TOP|Instead of reaching the unreached, many ambitious pastors of growing churches are simply trying to build “the biggest show in town”. Most of the growth taking place in churches consists of people floating from one church to another, not new souls coming to Christ. Pastors focus on sheer numbers, mere quantity rather than quality of growth, and there seems to be a competition going on about who is bigger and better. But is bigger always better? Most of the big churches I know have more problems and disunity than they can handle. Often big churches lack true worship, fellowship and spiritual growth. I often hear from people in big churches that no one really took time to talk with them. How horrible it is to be in a big church and there to feel lonely! Most of the cell groups in North America are also ineffective and lack leadership. Thousands of churches close down every year. When will we learn that numerical growth is not a worthy spiritual goal in itself? We need to build churches based on God’s word and His ambition for the local community and for the world. Otherwise, when God tests the church with fire from heaven, all that wood, hay and stucco will be burned up, and often nothing remains except what God has built in the lives of the people.

Another problem with North American leaders is that they let themselves be influenced by the principles of the business world. Most leadership literature focuses on marketing for churches, making profit out of the elderly in the congregation, using demographics, and becoming a CEO of a church corporation. Serving and laying down our lives for one another for Christ’s sake is not often taught. According to several spiritual leaders I spoke with most of North America’s church and ministry leaders have wrong priorities, and this wrong teaching infiltrates the church or organization from the top. Having said this, I know of many real leaders and churches that are truly walking with the Lord and serving and worshiping Him. I do not want to be all negative but aim to tell the truth in love. I just hope we will be open to the lord to speak to us and give Him the opportunity to change us.

|AD|The numbers orientation and business approach need to be changed back to a true focus on the Lord and active missions to the unchurched. Only this focus will keep our churches truly alive, because it is the Lord who gives life and genuine growth. Many of the historic churches in Europe are empty, and some of them are used as shopping malls or even mosques. For decades, these European churches put more effort and money into buildings than lives, and they paid with stagnation and death. European believers recognize this, and they have become enthusiastic about new ways of being the church. Now, the same trend is visible in North America. The churches have increasingly entrenched themselves as social institutions. They have a vast infrastructure, buildings, and staff - but the more they build on the outside the more the inside dies off. In Europe, this has led to a growing hunger, especially among the younger generation, for non-institutional expressions of faith. Maybe North America can learn from Europe’s mistakes, and stop the trend to emulate worldly success before it is too late.

There is a world full of people who are dying without Christ. Let’s stop playing ‘shop’ and reach them with the gospel. A church that does this will have Christ at its heart, and with Christ, the power to stay vibrant and foster genuine spiritual growth inside and outside its walls.

Dr. Joseph Chavady


Dr Joseph Chavady is the President of Canada-based One to One International. For more information please visit www.121intl.org.