Sometimes churches close for demographic reasons: a small, rural community whose citizens are moving away will perhaps struggle to keep its churches open. But the primary reason why once healthy churches shrink and die is that they stop recognizing their foundation, Jesus Christ.
The liberal way of ignoring the foundation is to ignore his teachings, his strong Jewish commitment to the way God’s Law reveals God’s own character. The conservative way of ignoring the foundation is to ignore his mission, his desire – not to establish a theological ghetto of like-believing religious adherents – but to use his own people as his body to rescue the cities and neighborhoods where he has planted that particular church. But when God’s people remain faithful to his teaching and his mission, the Christian church grows and flourishes.
Hosts:
Discover more from St. James Lutheran Church
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.