KEYS TO A GROWING CHURCH
By Richard Burkard
In an earlier posting on this web site, I mentioned my last Sabbath in the Worldwide Church of God -- which ended in an unusual way, with the announcement that my Pastor "would not be retained" because he strongly supported Old Testament Holy Days. I also noted that the tape of the service with this announcement was ordered ERASED - save for one copy sent to Headquarters.
In a way, it's a shame that the service was erased - because the SERMON that day had some good points my congregation needed to hear, and other "Churches of God" (WCG or otherwise) ought to consider. District Superintendent Carn Catherwood spoke on evangelism, and listed six traits that "growing WCG churches all have in common." This article is a summary of that message, and my own comments examining those traits. Does YOUR congregation have all of them -- and SHOULD it have them to be successful?
Mr. Catherwood began by stating some little-known data about the WCG - that few of those who depart the Church ever come back, and that many young families have left in recent years. (The decline in youth sports Churchwide perhaps made that obvious.) But he noted about TEN percent of WCG congregations have major growth. He suggests members NOT wait for a "church-growing" program from Headquarters - but be ready for the Holy Spirit to act as an "evangelizer" through you. (Acts 1:4-8)
So what are the six things growing WCG congregations have in common? Here's what Carn Catherwood listed:
1. JESUS CHRIST IN THE CENTER - In a visible way, not a remote one. For some, Jesus isn't a "big deal" in their lives - but He should be. "People long for sunshine" - and for something beyond simply "obeying the Master." In the congregation I attended, some members apparently challenged how much the Pastor actually preached about Jesus.
(However, I noticed this statement about Jesus in Hebrews 5:9: "And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation." -- NASB)
2. INSPIRING WORSHIP - To connect with the heart of God, as opposed to superficial apathy. Worship should be authentic and dynamic, Mr. Catherwood says - and while "professional" Worship Leaders are fine, they aren't necessary. He noted one service he attended in the Ozarks that had a teenager leading songs and older women offering prayers, but he still felt it was worshipful.
Acts 2:41-42 notes after about 3,000 people were added to the Church on that famous Pentecost Sunday, "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." This passage shows theology does matter in the Church. (We'll say more about this in a future article.) And the Greek actually says, "to the prayer," indicating they were offered at specific times every day. Verses 46-47 goes on to explain the early Church's habits -- including, strangely enough, "having favor with all the people." Inspiring worship can turn people on!
But this is where things get interesting - because what's inspiring and worshipful to me may not be to you. I was a Worship Leader in WCG congregations, and felt like some radio stations -- trying to find the "best mix of yesterday and today" in what we sang. I picked a few songs from the WCG Hymnal (yes, some places still do use it), some from a Don Marsh "Praise and Worship Chorus" CD (we made booklets with the words), and occasionally other tunes from the Ross Jutsum 8-CD set. The other regular Worship Leader was more old-style - leaning toward traditional hymns, surrounded by CD's he brought with singers such as Mahalia Jackson and the Statler Brothers. That man told me after I departed that the District Superintendent (who took over as Pastor) preferred my approach. (Call me a "yes man," I guess.)
In my town, there aren't many "Christian radio" choices. The AM side has black and "Southern" gospel, while FM has two stations that play mostly traditional hymns and don't apologize for it in the least. The "contemporary Christian" stations that used to broadcast here are gone! Yet a classical-style hymn about Jesus can inspire me every bit as much as a fast-paced, one-verse "praise song" that some critics compare to mantras. It's a matter of personal taste and preference. Today's WCG obviously is making a determined effort to "go younger," but the older worshippers should NOT be "put out to pasture" in the process. To borrow from a line I hear about youth -- it's THEIR church, too!
3. WARM FELLOWSHIP - A personal atmosphere of community. What a congregation does in the first ten minutes after a new person arrives can determine whether the spiritual family will expand. My WCG congregation had a greeter at the door handing out bulletins, but the hugs mostly came inside the hall - and from people you knew.
4. SMALL GROUPS - Robust ones can build love among the members, and can be used to evangelize newcomers. Mr. Catherwood revealed the "average lifespan" of a small group is one to three years. My WCG congregation tried this on a "once-a-month Bible Study" basis - and for the most part, it flopped. Several meetings I attended turned into loud debates (even between family members) over how to interpret certain Scriptures, and whether some Church changes were correct. They were great for a long-time journalist like me, who thrills at the sight of fireworks - but terrible for discipleship and building peace in Christ. Related to this....
5. NO DOCTRINAL TURMOIL - especially regarding the keeping of days. Mr. Catherwood says spiritual seekers hate controversy, and debates about days put them off. He realizes a life that revolved around Old Testament "Holy Days" can be hard to detach - but he says newcomers don't share our church history. He added the practice of recent years to preach Jesus on those days didn't work - and some people are scared by things that sound "alien and foreign" to them.
Other postings on this web site have discussed the tension my WCG congregation went through about "Holy Days," especially after higher-level ministers intervened. Mr. Catherwood argued showing Jesus to others matters more than our "need for folklore." (One District Superintendent has compared holy days to churches that stopped practicing snake-handling - but still keep snakes in boxes inside the sanctuary, as a reminder of what they used to do.) "The issue is not your comfort, but accessibility for others."
While it is important that a congregation put its "best face forward" and be united as possible (I Cor. 1:10), quotes like the one above lead me to ask: isn't the real issue something else besides these? The bottom line of worship isn't my comfort or your access, but giving honor and obedience to GOD! "This is love for God: to obey his commands." (I Jhn. 5:3) Of course, one sticking point in the Churches of God is what "his commands" means. The "Big Ten?" (Matt. 19:17-19) Believing Jesus and loving one another? (I Jhn. 3:23) That's too involved for me to discuss in this article; check the various church web sites if you'd like information on the various arguments.
Mr. Catherwood also cited the example of non-Muslims in Bahrain. Christians who worship on Sundays risk jail. Jews who worship on Saturdays risk jail. So what's a worshipper to do? He says Christians decided "days don't matter" - so they meet on Fridays, the Muslim day of prayer. (He never mentioned the idea of meeting on Friday NIGHT after sunset - which would satisfy Sabbath-keeping Christians and Jews alike!)
6. PASSION FOR EVANGELISM LOCALLY - It should be similar to Jesus weeping over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44). This proved difficult to do in my WCG congregation for several reasons:
Summing it up: to me, the points Mr. Catherwood made are all good ones - but as former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz once said, "The devil is in the details." I do NOT mean by this that my congregation was filled with demon-possessed people! Many of them had a vision of what the congregation needed - but various members had different visions, perhaps based in part on a variety of levels of spiritual understanding. "Where there is no vision" - singular - "the people perish...." (Prv. 29:18, KJV) May all groups involved in the work of God have that vision - in their service to God, their love for Jesus Christ, and their ministry to others.
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