For many generations the attitude of most western world Christians, that is those who have migrated out of old Christianized European countries to the New World, have increasingly developed a philosophy of religion that emphasizes the building of beautiful structures with all the conveniences available to them. For obvious reasons this has generated an institutional approach. Day-to-day ministry is defined as that which takes place inside the building for the good and comfort of the members with many and varied programs designed exclusively for Christians. Heavy emphasis is placed on the social aspect of community with many friendly gatherings and informative programs that seek to "gather wood, divide the work, and give orders." There is no limit to food, fellowship, and sharing among the brethren. There are special trips to fun and interesting places, motivational speakers, wonderful music, and semi-annual rallies that are hoped to challenge and reinvigorate insiders who have become complacent.

The unfortunate side to all of this is that in the end, for all of the good intentions, things remain boringly the same resulting in alarming reports of how dead or dying and ineffective our churches have become at spreading the Good News and transforming lives through Christ.

Our older churches with their busy schedules of non-stop programs are in decline, and unless there is a major rethinking of what her purpose is, the church will continue to lose her impact and influence on the secular world that surrounds. As churches "circle the wagons" and work harder to protect themselves from contamination and change from outsiders and further their own comfort and Christian culture, those in deepest need of rescue and compassion will likely not find help from the one source that can help them most.

Every church I have ever been associated with would state that their purpose has something to do with sharing the Gospel with the lost and expanding the kingdom of God on earth. Though not always written out as a mission or vision statement, a high priority is that they covenant to love and care for one another. Obedience to the will and purpose of God is equally important, and a strong allegiance to the Holy Scriptures is an integral part of the whole mix. There is usually a strong and proud conviction in the air when they begin to talk about God's house being a house of prayer. These traits are healthy and biblically sound. However, if we want to be honest about our purpose it is more telling to take an inventory of our actions. The man who says his greatest priority is his family and yet never seems to find time to interact with his children or grow in his commitment to his wife is desperately off course. A business that claims to place the customer number one and yet does all it can to take money from the buyer while offering an inferior product with poor customer support will not be around for the duration.

Likewise, a church may make any number of spiritually sound statements and even fight to defend such opinions, but if a weekly inventory points out that there has been little or no contact with the community in which we live, total prayer offered in the "prayer house" can be counted in minutes, and activities and expenditures are almost entirely for the benefit and comfort of our members, then we should either restate our purpose so it agrees with our reality or redirect our efforts to agree with our statements. It was a wise old sage who pointed out that "words are cheap." There are those in our congregations who have a passion for what is truly the mission at the heart of God. Let's not waste our time, energy, and money drumming up men and women to prop up self-serving programs and activities, nit picking the details of caring for our own ease and prosperity, and barking orders. Instead, guide these adventurers to fan into flame the yearning passion for the vast and endless sea of wandering sheep without a shepherd. Let's make our "do" match our "say".