The State of the Church

I used to get discouraged about the state of the big-c Church. If you want to find fault with churches, it’s easy. My cynicism grew and it began to corrode my soul.

I don’t get discouraged about the state of the Church anymore. Here are a few reasons why.

I’ve seen more of the church.

Now that I’m a church planter, I get to speak at a lot of other churches. I love what I see. As I travel throughout my area, I keep finding churches that are flourishing. They never make the news, but they’re there.

I’ve learned something about culture.

It’s easy to look at culture and get overwhelmed. Ray Ortlund has helped shift my attitude with tweets like this:

These are exciting times to be in ministry. The good old days never existed. God has given us this moment in which to serve, and it’s a good moment.

I’ve rediscovered the gospel.

It’s a cliché but it’s true. The gospel changes the way we view small, messy churches and the people within them. I’m a lot more comfortable with the jars of clay I see all around me than I used to be. Jared Wilson put it well: the gospel frees us to chill the heck out. It’s made me a better pastor.

These are three reasons I’m not discouraged about the state of the Church.