I would love some discussion on the subject of shrinking church attendance and ways to revive any particular church whose membership is aging and dying off and whether to change music styles or any other ideas people have come across.
I am not talking about changing the gospel message or accepting gay marriage or any scriptural changes whatsoever. Obviously there is the change to a contemporary style, but I am looking for a more specific set of examples of what has worked for other churches.
The leadership must repent. I've been in so many "churches" where the Holy Spirit was never consulted on the message, never invited to attend, never sought after! I've seen where the "pastor" is the sole leader doing everything - and sometimes that's fine, but most of the time they're the ones to blame for the "church's" condition. We need a revival of God's POWER and MIGHT, not a continued regiment of song, announcements, song, prayer, song, offering, another song and then a dry sermon (well prepared maybe, but void of the Holy Spirit), altar call, song, prayer, departing announcement, repeat next week. It's gotten to the point where pastors go to Google for inspiration! "Cliff notes for pastors".
Then there's those in the crowd that only "pray" in church, "sing" in church, "worship" in church for 2 hours out of 168 hours in a week! No one tells them that God is a consuming fire! And when they do, there's no Spirit behind it because the pastor doesn't know what he's doing because he was only taught salesmanship in cemetery (oops, I mean seminary).
@Where is the Messiah is right, but not a curserary prayer, but on-your-face-all-day-all-night kind of prayer! Boldly going to the throne of Grace! There was a time when a pastor just walked into the room and the whole church fell to the ground in prayer of repentance to God having NEVER SAID A WORD! That's power!
Acts 1:8 (KJV)
But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
δύναμις Dunamis - where we get the word dynamite!
- Definition:
1. strength power, ability
a. inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth
b. power for performing miracles
c. moral power and excellence of soul
d. the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth
e. power and resources arising from numbers
f. power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts
2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of
power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
You won't like them and many will call them false, but they have the POWER! Ian Clayton, John Paul Jackson, Keith Moore!