Are churches now mission fields?

[InTheLight]

Sure having hundreds come every week can seem like success. But are people growing in the faith?
I'm sure some are - but all ?

All people attending a church growing in the faith is unrealistic, IMO. In any event, if they are not growing at my church, it's not the fault of the church. There are always opportunities to serve and the church does a good job of challenging people.

Curious about something Light. How many families in your large church drive at least 40 miles to attend church? Are they faithful every week? Do they attend more than just on Sundays?

I personally do not know anyone there that drives a distance of 40 miles or more. I would guess it is less than 5%. Not sure what you are trying to point out. Care to elaborate?

 

[go2church]

Where? I dont see them here.

I believe if you looked at just about any survey of church size you would find that the average church in America to be relatively on the small side

ATTENDANCE # OF CHURCHES

WEEKLY WORSHIPERS

Size #churches #people Percentage

7-99 - 177,000 - 9 million - 59%

100-499 - 105,000 - 25 million - 35%

500-999 - 12,000 - 9 million - 4%

1,000-1,999 - 6,000 - 8 million - 2%

2,000-9,999 - 1,170 - 4 million - .4%

10,000-plus - 40 - .7 million - .01%

TOTALS

approx. 300,000

approx. 56 million

100%

from website http://hirr.hartsem.edu/research/fastfacts/fast_facts.html

I believe you would find other research sources with similar numbers

 

[Salty]

All
...I personally do not know anyone there that drives a distance of 40 miles or more. I would guess it is less than 5%. Not sure what you are trying to point out. Care to elaborate?

Sure!
First - you may not know them becaue they may not be able to hang around due to the distance needed to travel.
Second - Lets say your church has 1,ooo in attendance - 5% = 50 people - My question - is why they are driving such a long distance. Why not start a mission church where they live at?

A mega church here in the Salt City boasts of then number of people who drive as much as 80 mile to come to his church. Simply uncalled for.

Matthew tells us to Go ye into the world - Not bring the world to your church.

I have a challenge for you. Talk to your senior pastor and ask him how many drive 40,50,+ miles to church and then ask him about the possibility of starting a mission work for those commuters.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Sure!
First - you may not know them becaue they may not be able to hang around due to the distance needed to travel.
Second - Lets say your church has 1,ooo in attendance - 5% = 50 people - My question - is why they are driving such a long distance. Why not start a mission church where they live at?

A mega church here in the Salt City boasts of then number of people who drive as much as 80 mile to come to his church. Simply uncalled for.

Matthew tells us to Go ye into the world - Not bring the world to your church.

I have a challenge for you. Talk to your senior pastor and ask him how many drive 40,50,+ miles to church and then ask him about the possibility of starting a mission work for those commuters.

RIGHT....plus are these churches in their home communities or are they far away from them? I was once at a church one town over....who refused to go into the town I lived in because they claimed it wasnt the community they lived in & this was to help an old widow rake leaves (5 miles away). I was ashamed when I heard that! There is a church in the next county who wont cross county lines (can you believe that) to help others in the next county. Hey I live there & Ive told them that I would like to see more emphasis on that area....but again no dice.

See I view my town (my town where I grew up & my kids grew up) as a void christian area. Void in that most dont stress doctrine, most are denominational (PCUSA, UM, Episcopal, RC---lots of that, Unitarian, Lutheran)so, yea my brother is correct, they dont feed anyone--not spiritually anyway. So the Lord has put it on my heart to at least try to bring something into the valley....something lasting, something substantial. so I agree with Gina, there is a mission field HERE in my own back yard. And I really....I mean REALLY dont understand the lack of help. My heart breaks for this. Well I guess thats my problem.

 

[salzer mtn]

Most people that attend church services at one place long enough settle in or grow roots. Churches are full of people that are there for different reasons other than worshipping God. You would be surprised at the people that would stay at a church even if the doctrine would change from one extreme to the other. How many people in a congregation are preacher worshippers ? a lot. They do not study the word of God for themselves but totally trust the preacher. After all they say, he is Gods man. How many people in a congregation go to church just for the fellowship with other people because it's either fellowship with the world in a worldly setting or go to church ? A bunch. There are also a lot of people in a congregation that don't swallow everything that comes out of the preachers mouth but they have learned they had better keep their mouth shut or be labeled as a trouble maker.

 

[matt wade]

I have a challenge for you. Talk to your senior pastor and ask him how many drive 40,50,+ miles to church and then ask him about the possibility of starting a mission work for those commuters.

Those commuters aren't going to want to a attend a church with a small # of people. Most people at mega churches are there so they can blend in, socialize some, and do as little work as possible (and at the end of the day feel good about themselves that they went to church). These commuters are not going to want to be in a small church that requires them to put in effort.

 

[InTheLight]

Most people that attend church services at one place long enough settle in or grow roots. Churches are full of people that are there for different reasons other than worshipping God. You would be surprised at the people that would stay at a church even if the doctrine would change from one extreme to the other. How many people in a congregation are preacher worshippers ? a lot. They do not study the word of God for themselves but totally trust the preacher. After all they say, he is Gods man. How many people in a congregation go to church just for the fellowship with other people because it's either fellowship with the world in a worldly setting or go to church ? A bunch. There are also a lot of people in a congregation that don't swallow everything that comes out of the preachers mouth but they have learned they had better keep their mouth shut or be labeled as a trouble maker.

Like the OP, you seem to know a lot about other people, other people's churches, and other church's preachers. Must be nice to have such a wide spectrum of experience with dozens and dozens of churches.

 

[salzer mtn]

Like the OP, you seem to know a lot about other people, other people's churches, and other church's preachers. Must be nice to have such a wide spectrum of experience with dozens and dozens of churches.

Yes, a person learns a lot when they keep their mouth shut and their ears open.

 

[Salty]

Those commuters aren't going to want to a attend a church with a small # of people. Most people at mega churches are there so they can blend in, socialize some, and do as little work as possible (and at the end of the day feel good about themselves that they went to church). These commuters are not going to want to be in a small church that requires them to put in effort.

A lot of truth to that!

When I was in Zweibruecken, one of our church members was driving 78 miles one way - Finally the pastor asked him why he drove so far. Answer - it was the closest IFB church to attend. So the pastor told it was time for him to start a church in Hahn. So that's exactly what George York did! About a year later they organized a new local Baptist church!

 

[Gina B]

Yes ITL, it is good to have that experience. I've lived in numerous states, and towns/cities within those states. I've worked with organizations that work with area churches, along with discussing issues with family and friends who attend different places. There is also a bit of info to be gained by reading the news, subscribing to church oriented newsletters, and speaking to people on forums such as this message board.
For the past couple of years, I've been mulling over this information and for the last half year or more, started praying and seeking guidance on a way to be involved in addressing the issues that plague modern churches in our country. It is becoming a pressing issue in my heart. The other day, I was speaking with someone who recently traveled to Germany and gave his view of the state of health in their congregations. I speak to some from China and how it is going there. The comparisons only add to the strength of my belief that churches in the United States are in need.
You can sit there and be snide about the topic, but it doesn't help the issue. Instead, why don't you contribute to my effort to pinpoint what is happening? The state of this country testifies to the lack of active believers. In a country with freedom to worship and churches on practically every street, this should not be so. So show me, gracefully, where I am wrong. Tell me your view of what is happening. Tell me about churches that are vibrant, active, and do not have the issues I've pointed out, and tell me how they keep them that way.
That would be a much better read.

 

[Revmitchell]

Yes ITL, it is good to have that experience. I've lived in numerous states, and towns/cities within those states. I've worked with organizations that work with area churches, along with discussing issues with family and friends who attend different places. There is also a bit of info to be gained by reading the news, subscribing to church oriented newsletters, and speaking to people on forums such as this message board.
For the past couple of years, I've been mulling over this information and for the last half year or more, started praying and seeking guidance on a way to be involved in addressing the issues that plague modern churches in our country. It is becoming a pressing issue in my heart. The other day, I was speaking with someone who recently traveled to Germany and gave his view of the state of health in their congregations. I speak to some from China and how it is going there. The comparisons only add to the strength of my belief that churches in the United States are in need.
You can sit there and be snide about the topic, but it doesn't help the issue. Instead, why don't you contribute to my effort to pinpoint what is happening? The state of this country testifies to the lack of active believers. In a country with freedom to worship and churches on practically every street, this should not be so. So show me, gracefully, where I am wrong. Tell me your view of what is happening. Tell me about churches that are vibrant, active, and do not have the issues I've pointed out, and tell me how they keep them that way.
That would be a much better read.

There are a number of things that come into play with this. Culture, economics, and discipleship are what I believe to be the main factors.

 

[InTheLight]

You can sit there and be snide about the topic, but it doesn't help the issue. Instead, why don't you contribute to my effort to pinpoint what is happening? The state of this country testifies to the lack of active believers. In a country with freedom to worship and churches on practically every street, this should not be so. So show me, gracefully, where I am wrong. Tell me your view of what is happening. Tell me about churches that are vibrant, active, and do not have the issues I've pointed out, and tell me how they keep them that way.
That would be a much better read.

I can't contribute to help you pinpoint the problem. It's not been my experience. I will say this - - if you go looking for problems you will find them. Also, people with positive experiences typically don't post them on forums or get written about in the news. And good experiences are certainly not the topic of gossip.

Your OP was all about how large churches are bad because they are run like a business instead of a family. Yet when you read about the troubles facing smaller churches the problems are frequently that it's being run by the pastor and his family like a dictatorship with little business acumen or outreach savvy.

 

[matt wade]

It's funny how some people are able to find all the the churches with "issues".

 

[T Alan]

Someone once said "If you think you've found the perfect Church don't join it and ruin it". or something like that. The Church I attend has including my family, 10 members. The Pastor has been there 20 years (46 yrs old now). He teaches expositionally, and is very gifted. It still has "issues" even with such a small group.