Having only been in full-time ministry for five years, I bring my limited and possibly naive perspective to this post. That being said, I have found this truth to be relevant in our day. There is a need for a generation of pastors to lay their lives down in the sacrificial service of revitalizing the hurting, dying, and misled flocks already amongst us in the United States.
To give you a sample of the current state of affairs, in 2021, LifeWay Research reported that three churches died for every two churches planted. This trend is expected after the church planting craze of the early 2000s but is nonetheless troubling. It has been well said that Church Planting is for Wimps. While there is a place for planting new churches, there seems to be an excessive number of churches being planted versus those being revitalized. No one should be surprised by this because if someone said you could start your own business from the ground up and control all of the details, or you could take over a company with unmotivated employees, untrained managers, and a negative cash flow, you would probably choose the first option.
In World War II, there was an infamous fulcrum upon which the entirety of the war balanced: the Allied invasion of Normandy. We remember this most often as D-Day. That morning of June 6, 1944, 156,000 men prepared to storm the northern coast of France, knowing that thousands of them would die. On that day, there was a feat of bravery shown by the first waves of men the world had ever seen. Four thousand of those men gave their lives that day. Yet, this was a necessary sacrifice to secure the victory known as the beginning of the end of World War II.
Similarly, I desire to encourage myself and my fellow under-shepherds around the country to lay down their lives on the front lines of church revitalization. Just consider this: instead of 2 new churches being planted for every three that died, what if two of every three dying churches were revitalized? What if we had expositors who determined to love a church over the decades so their children and grandchildren would inherit a healthy church from the fruit of their faithful labor? What if, rather than ignoring the unhealthy churches and letting them die off on their own, we committed to restoring God’s name and His worship within our unhealthy members?
We are all members of one body, the universal church. My fear is that because we hate confrontation and suffering, we have idolized church planting and have forsaken the hurting and broken parts of the body of Christ. Gentlemen, it is time to step up to the plate.
32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
Hebrews 11:32-38
Some of us, by faith, will accomplish the amazing things at the beginning of this passage. Many of us, by faith, will achieve the amazing thing at the end of this passage. The problem is I don’t believe we believe this practically, only principally. What if God has called us as a generation of men to spend the next 30, 40, or 50 years patiently dying to ourselves, suffering persecution? And through this, God would restore His church with the vitality necessary for the hard times to come. You can ask, “Why you?” OR you can ask, “Why not you?”
I encourage you to gain a more extraordinary view of Christ and His majesty and to follow the example of Isaiah.
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Isaiah 6:1-8
This is a call to die, my friends. The good shepherd laid His life down for His sheep. The least we could do in this pivotal time of history would be to follow our Champion by picking up our cross daily and following Him by caring for His bride. So, will you man up or wimp out?
May God bless your week as you seek His kingdom first!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Dan
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