The basic issue

This post is from the defunct blog “Dying Church”

Growth, health, and the life cycles of institutions are not the basic issues facing Christian congregations at the beginning of this millennium. The basic issue facing your congregation is this: Are you faithful? Congregations can be healthy and growing but not faithful. Some congregations grow simply because of their location and often in spite of their best efforts to support the status quo. Many congregations, which function as a family chapel, are healthy family systems with absolutely no desire to join Jesus on the mission field. These congregations are not faithful… Too much of the writing and conversation today focuses on institutional health, which is not what I mean by the word faithfulness. Faithful congregations follow Jesus into the mission field to make disciples who make a difference in the world. Jesus' command to "Go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19) describes the heart and soul of any authentic Christian community of faith, because it is Jesus' Last Will and Testament. Faithful congregations intentionally go out from the congregational mission post to make disciples; congregations that omit this purpose are unfaithful. No individual, congregation, or denomination is excused from this mandate, because disciple-making is the reason the Church exists. Take disciple-making away and our congregations have no justification for existence. (Bill Easum, Unfreezing Moves)