Jump Start # 1124

Revelation 3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.’”

  The opening line in Dicken’s Christmas Carol is “Marley was dead.” A twist of that could be said about Sardis. Sardis was dead. Now, they didn’t start that way. No churches do. They start small but with great hope and enthusiasm. Family and friends are told about Jesus. People are taught. Baptisms take place. The little group starts to grow. A lot of excitement. Joy fills their heart. In time, the group matures. Leaders are appointed. The work expands. Often, in those early years of a new church, different places are found to meet in. They experience growing pains. Then along the way, they started to settle down and settle in. Routine replaced motivation and drive. The same ole’ same ole became the norm and the standard. Growth tapered off. Some fell away. Others moved on. Before they knew it and realized it, the long, slow process of death started taking over. Sardis died and they didn’t even know it. They still had deeds, but they were dead. They had a reputation, but they were dead. The best years were behind them. They were existing but not living. Church life was routine and no longer a vital and important part of their life. They’d still meet but that’s about it. A dead church is composed of dead members. Dead on Sunday. Dead on Monday. The spiritual needle no longer moved in their hearts. Living, finances, families, fun replaced Christ. They were a great showroom but there was nothing in the warehouse.

Yesterday I asked a question an the end of our class. The answer to the question determines everything about a congregation. I asked, “Are the best years for this congregation in the past, present or still to come?” For Sardis, it was in the past. When a church views that as the answer, then they have moved to simply existing. They will go through the motions of life, but it’s all pretense and a show. They talk about events in the past. They glory in preachers long gone. They talk about how large they once were. PAST, PAST, PAST. The best years were in the past. For such places, they are simply waiting for death to take them over. They are in the nursing home phase of existence.

Others would say that the present is the best. That’s not a bad answer. This means a church is busy and engaged in what is going on right now. They would be growing and teaching and enjoying fellowship with each other. You could feel the energy, intensity and joy. The downside to all of this is that there isn’t much forward thinking or planning going on. They are so busy with the present that they fail to anticipate, plan and  move toward the future. Where are they going to be in five years isn’t something that they think about. Who will be the next leaders? They don’t think those thoughts. Who is on the five year list to be an elder? Who is on the ten year list? Most likely, they don’t have those lists. They are busy with today. Sometimes congregations like that get caught off guard. They didn’t anticipate needing to expand the building and they didn’t prepare for that. Something happens and some of the leaders move or resign because of personal issues and they are caught in a time without leaders. They didn’t think about that. A church must be engaged in the present, but they cannot take their eye off the horizon to see what is next.

Some congregations are in the mode that the best is yet to come. I believe this is where God wants us to be. Busy in the present, but planning for the future. Looking at the little 2 year old class and realizing that someday they will be in the teenage class. Making the proper steps to shore up and strengthen things for the future. There is a lot of planning and vision for congregations with this mindset. They recognize that what they do today paves the way for the future. The classes taught today are in anticipation for tomorrow.

Interesting question to chew on. The best days: behind us, right now, or ahead of us. The answer to that question will set the tone for what the church does. Don’t be a Sardis that died without anyone recognizing it. Don’t let the past be the best. Do things, the right things, so today, and even tomorrow will be better than the past. This takes busy servants. This involves planners and dreamers. This takes finances. This takes the congregation catching hold of that spirit and believing it. This is not giving up and throwing in the towel. This is working on current problems and then trying to hold off coming problems. This is anticipating rather than reacting. This is seeing that each person is responsible and each person has different spiritual needs. This is the work of overseers. A skipper that is looking behind the ship will crash. He must be at the helm, looking ahead. We need more and more leaders to be like this. To get out of the rut and plan, dream and anticipate. What does the congregation look like in five years? How about 15?

Sardis was stuck in the past. They were dead. Don’t let that happen to you or your congregation. A church dies because the members die. Getting life back in the congregation begins by getting life back in our hearts as individuals. Don’t wait for others. Don’t sit on the sidelines any longer.

The best years…when are they?

Roger