Monday, February 9, 2009

How Are You Dealing?


With this economic downturn. You know, the one that started in December 2007 but the administration then in power refused to acknowledge until almost a year later. How has it impacted your local church, district, or conference?

If you're like us here in Virginia there have been a few changes. Budgets are being slashed, staff positions are being cut. Even big, successful churches are feeling the pinch. People (and churches/conferences) who relied on investing in the stock market to make a buck are finding out that they've trusted in mammon. And true to form, mammon has let them down once more.

People in the pews are hurting. Jobs have been lost. Donations and tithes are down. Ironically so is attendance. In a time when people have traditionally turned to the church for comfort and solace they're staying away in droves.

Why? Why in this time of economic uncertainty are people not turning to God and humbly kneeling before Him and asking forgiveness? Is the church so out of touch with the postmodern times that folks today aren't even considering it as an option? Or is it just that the church has forgotten how to reach out to people in need? That the church is so concerned with maintaining the "institution" it doesn't have a clue how to be "The Church" Jesus wants us to be?

Questions, I know... but important ones that we'd better answer quickly. For if we don't we'll be only a memory within a generation.

Or perhaps the Revelation According to John is true...

Maranatha.

2 Comments:

At February 10, 2009 at 9:38 AM , Blogger Charles said...

Mammon never let anyone down, it only wasn't any good for the next day, because God provided it a new each day, accept on the sabbath, and it was allowed to keep over the sabbath.

I also question your assertion that people aren't turning to God and church. I think they are, but they are turning to more conservative bible churches, and not those that have watered down the truth, like many biblically liberal churches like the UMC is doing more of in many parts of the USA. Because the church leadership isn't responding to these liberal churches going against the disciplines of the Church, it is affecting the UMC as a hole. The UMC is no longer seen as a Bible believing church.

We have lost almost half of our church to more conservative local churches. I know many of them and where they are going now.

 
At February 10, 2009 at 1:30 PM , Blogger David said...

Charles, I think you're a tad confused. Manna is what God provided the Israelites in the wilderness. Mammon is another name for materiel wealth/money.

I would ordinarily agree that people are looking to a non-denominational church to attend, but locally these churches are being impacted as well in attendance. I know of several within walking distance that have seen people stay away during this economic downturn. Personally I believe it's a spiritual attack that's occuring, and we'd better all get our armor on.

Maranatha.

 

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