Why are Churches of Christ Shrinking? - Part 1: A Left-Brained Fellowship in a Right-Brained World

[James Nored]

Why are Churches of Christ Shrinking? - Part 1: A Left-Brained Fellowship in a Right-Brained World

For followers of this blog, you know that most all of my posts deal with larger kingdom and cultural issues. The Missional Outreach Network has readers from all different denominational backgrounds, and I want to bring people together through Christ and his mission.

However, if my non-Church of Christ readers can indulge me, I want to post a series dealing with some issues in my fellowship (Churches of Christ). Specifically, I want to seek to address the issue as to why Churches of Christ are shrinking--seeking both your thoughts and to provide some analysis and insights. 

First, just an acknowledgment of the fact that we are shrinking is a huge step. For years, somehow we took solace in the fact that our numbers in the US were constant--despite the fact that, as a percentage of the US population, we were already in rapid decline. The US population was growing, and we were not. 

In more recent years, the Christian Chronicle (our non-official official newspaper for Churches of Christ) has woken us up to cold reality. Not only are we declining as a percentage of the US population; we are shrinking numerically as well. We are a fellowship in decline. Maybe not declining as quickly as the mainline denominations that we have pointed towards, but still, like them, declining.

As long as we were "holding our own," we could just keep doing what we had always been doing, "holding to our principals"--not changing anything--and waiting for the world to change and come around to our point of view. If you are staying about the same, well, that is not good, but it does not put you in a crisis mode that prompts organizations to change or die. But now, as we slowly, painfully, begin to acknowledge that we are dying, we now are perhaps more willing to look at the causes of our death, with the hope perhaps that a cure can be found.

There are numerous reasons for our fellowship's decline which I hope to discuss in this blog post series. But the reason that I want to put forward today is this: we are a left-brained fellowship in a right-brained world. 

Churches of Christ in their current, visible form were birthed in the 1800s during the height of the "modern" worldview. This was the age of Reason. We were skeptical of emotion, which could lead us astray. All that stuff at Cane Ridge, where people were looking for expressions of the Spirit as confirmation of their faith, which could include barking like dogs and the like, led nearly half of our fellowship to disbelieve that the Spirit of God worked at all outside of the written word and that there was no indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Shocking to deny, for without the Spirit, we have no eternal life.

But it was a print medium world, so this fit into the times. This print medium world allows one to take the word of God off on one's own to read and study outside of a community--which leads to individualism. It was a world that worshiped the scientific method, and we began to apply this method to Scripture, believing that if we just all used the same method (hermeneutic), we would all come to the same result every time. Reason and scientific study of the Bible and knowledge would lead us to all come to agreement and thus unity. (I was reminded recently by a preacher friend that our motto for decades was "Come, let us reason together.")

(Notice that unity was not based upon Christ and the Spirit or the seven "ones" of Eph. 4, but upon agreement on all of the issues. This is an impossible task, proven to be impossible for flawed humans by our history. But I digress.)

So our worship services and Bible classes were designed to give out information and prove points. We wanted to educate people--not shape them spiritually or transform them or disciple them. We did not have Spiritual Formation or Discipleship ministers. We had "Adult Education" ministers. We had preachers who dispensed information and proved their points. It was assumed that education equals transformation. 

Fast forward two hundred years to today. We are now in an Apple based, image and icon based world. A world of pictures and videos. A world of music and surround sound. A world of 75" plasma screens in homes and jumbo trons half the size of football fields. I live in Dallas and took the Cowboys stadium tour. There I found out that the owners of the Phoenix Suns came out to the stadium to play video games at $500/minute on the humongous video screen there. Apple is now the highest valued company in the world, beating out Microsoft. This is not just symbolism. It is reality. We are in an Apple based, image based, icon based, experienced based world. This is the world that those 35 and under in particular grew up in, though it extends up through Gen X (and even partially into the late Boomers).

And these younger generations come into our worship services looking for an experience. And what do they get? A lecture. Information. Someone trying to build a reasoned argument and make their points. And they just don't get it. It does not speak their language. We are speaking Mandarin Chinese to them. (Actually Mandarin Chinese is an image-based language. So with the growth of China, we will become even more image based and Eastern in our thinking. Think of a picture or image. By its nature, it evokes more emotion and feeling and passion. And when younger generations enter into this throwback, print based world, they feel that our worship services are empty, dead, and lifeless. It does not move them. They can't wait for the exit.)

Older generations showed up to hear a sermon. The rest was nice, but was almost viewed as filler for the main dish. And in growing churches that are reaching younger generations, they most all have great preachers. Preaching (that is culturally relevant) still transforms and moves people. 

But what our fellowship fails to realize is that if you were to take that same great speaker--let's say, Andy Stanley, or if you prefer, Mark Driscoll, or whoever of that generation that floats your boat, and you were to plop them down into most of our churches, that church would not explode. The younger people would not, by and large, come. Why is this? Because they are not looking for a sermon--though they want to hear a moving one when they hear one. They are looking for an experience--an experience that matches their world. And we are by and large offering an experience of what life in the 1800s is like. Bible classes that educate, and sermons that give knowledge and prove points. In a world in which knowledge is ubiquitous (ever heard of the Internet or Wikipedia?) and everyone is sick of people arguing about who is right. 

Let's face it. By and large, we view the thousands of dollars that are spent on lights, video screens, and cameras in other fellowships as a waste of money. As seeking to "entertain."  We look down on those churches as being superficial. (Part of this is that during the split with the Christian church, they got all of the buildings and all of the money. So our people are inherently suspicious of these kind of expenditures as being "liberal" or superficial. But like so much of our heritage, most people don't realize why they think these things.)

And yet, churches that are doing this are growing--not only reaching lost people, but retaining their own kids. They actually come, want to come, enjoy the experience, and bring their friends. Young adults will camp out and plan their year around the Passion worship experience, but would not ever show up at a lectureship. Look around at the lectureships in our fellowship. There are a lot of older people, and almost no one under 30, despite there being incredible speakers there. 

I recently toured a church in our fellowship that just redid their auditorium. They had an incredible set up. Three huge screens, incredible lighting, stadium seating. I immediately thought two things: 1) this must have cost a lot of money--we could never afford this; and 2) I would love to preach in this atmosphere, because it would be incredible. It would be experiential. It would resonate with younger generations--and a lot of right-brained people in Boomer and above generations, who have never felt that we have spoken their language.

So, what does this mean we should do in Churches of Christ? Well, if we want the same results, I would advise us to do nothing. If we want to see our kids continue to leave in droves--and recently, Randy Harris said at Elderlink that he was afraid that we were going to lose all of our 18-35 year olds--then don't change a thing. When someone tries to dim the lights or show a video or have a praise team or give a testimonial and people complain and threaten to leave or stop giving, then give in. That is what has happened in congregation after congregation in our fellowship. And the Millenials don't complain. They don't make a fuss and stomp off mad. They are very polite. They just leave and say (to themselves), this is not for me. 

And the sad thing is, not only are we choosing to not reach lost people because of our refusal to not give an inch on these issues, but we are choosing to send our kids and grandkids away to at best another fellowship, at worst, the world. When push comes to shove, we would rather keep church the way that it has always been than to make changes that would help us reach or retain these generations. As one of my preacher friend says, "In almost every case in all of our churches, tradition trumps mission."

What if, instead of viewing these things as a waste of money and a threat to our church tradition, we viewed them as "speaking the language" of the people in our mission field? Is that not what missionaries do? We would fire a missionary who went overseas and never learned to speak the language of the people that he was trying to reach and who did not work through their cultural norms and cultural values. But somehow, we forget that we must do the same thing here in the US. 

So here are a few things that could be considered to create a more experienced based worship service.

1. Use video throughout. It is a Youtube world. Video has picture and music and tells a story. It is the language of today. Use background music in these videos. It is the least that we can do to be culturally resonant.

2. Use a three projection screen setup. The standard setup for an experience based event is a three screen setup. The main, center screen projects the speaker/worship leader--and people will usually look at this screen more than the actual person. The other two screens project pictures, moving images and the like. And if you really want to create an experience, then add additional screens on the sides. 

3. Dim the lights in the audience and brighten the stage. This can create the experience atmosphere that many are used to and looking for.

4. Use testimonials. Interview people and have them tell their stories. It is an Oprah world. Millions recently watched Lance Armstrong sit on the couch and talk to Oprah. People will line up to hear other people's stories.

5. Make preaching biblical, culturally relevant, and applicable. Remember, people are not going to be wowed by our exegesis. They can find this online or on their own study Bible. What they will be wowed by is a person who models a godly life, who speaks their language, and who can tell them how to live this biblical truth out in their daily lives at work, in their homes, with their family.

6. Use "pre-worship" music and "post-worship music." Music is ubiquitous in young people' lives. Playing this before and after helps them have a more memorable experience.

7. Engage the body, mind, and heart in worship. This is imminently biblical. Remember The Greatest Commands song? We do not just worship God with our mind. We worship him with our body and with our heart and emotion. Be joyful. Clap. Shout for joy. (We sing about shouting, but don't ever do it.) Have a praise team or worship leader that models this, for passionate worship is contagious. And give people permission to really engage their whole being in worship for God.

8. Emphasize community. Facebook and Youtube have created a world of sharing, a world that longs for community. It is a basic part of our humanity. Remember, in the creation account, everything that God created was good. There was only one thing that was not good. It was not good to be alone. Community can be emphasized in our assemblies not just by having coffee, though great coffee is expected in a Starbucks world. Community is emphasize by sharing stories of God's work amongst his people throughout the week. By displaying Twitter feeds with a church's hashtag, or by asking questions and letting people share through their Iphones. Community can be put in one's tagline, on the website, in one's language in worship. More on community later.

The churches that get this will do far better at reaching the lost and retaining their own children and grandchildren. The "lectureships" that get this will do far better. (Why come hundreds of miles today to just hear a speaker when you can listen to them online?) Create an experience and they will come. And they will invite their friends. Of course, this is not the only thing that has to happen. I am a "missional outreach" guy. I believe in going out and serving and reaching people to my core. But I am more and more convinced that unless we wake up to this experience culture and speak the language of our mission audience, then we will continue to shrink. And I love our fellowship and I love Christ, and I don't want to see this happen. I want our churches to grow. I want my three girls to not have to leave our fellowship to have an experience that touches their hearts, minds, bodies, and souls. I want them to have experiences so powerful, that they come back time and time again.

NOTE - This DOES NOT mean that we have to throw away truth or that these are the only things that we need to do. Hardly. But it may mean that if we speak the language of our culture, they may actually listen to our message. I am not at all for watered down messages or fluff. Telling powerful stories of how God is at work--a conversion story, a story of service, a story of living holy lives, a story of spiritual formation in the home, a story of a marriage coming back together--is not fluffy entertainment. These are powerful stories told well and powerfully. And that should impact everyone. And maybe it will help people to listen and "take in" important truths about Christ, baptism, and the Christian walk.

I am sure that at some point flannel graph was considered a new fangled technology. And Power Point. And microphones. And air conditioning and padded pews. (Go back and read early Restoration history--there are tons of railings against padded pews and the like.) Every generation is comfortable with whatever technology/communication medium they grew up with, and uncomfortable with ones that they did not. It is the responsibility of those most mature in Christ to be the most generous in their personal preferences to those who are most in danger of being lost or missed. That is what being incarnational means.

Here is part 2 in this blog post series: Why are Churches of Christ Shrinking? Part 2: Failure to Recognize ...

Here is part 3 in this blog post series: Why are Churches of Christ Shrinking? - Part 3: A Misplaced Identit...

Here is part 1 in a parallel blog post series: Why Do Churches of Christ Have Hope and a Future? - Part 1: A Reawa...

If you are interested in me giving a Missional Outreach Seminar or Spiritual Gifts Seminar in your church, please let me know. I can adjust the schedule or topics to cover the topics that are needed in your church. I am filling out my 2013 calendar right now. Also, you might be interested in the evangelistic Bible study that I have written, the Story of Redemption. www.StoryofRedemption.com. To discover your top five Spiritual gifts, check out my Spiritual gifts website, www.YourSpiritualGifts.com

[Matthew Henry]

James,

I would challenge you and those reading this article to read Ephesians 4. However when it says "one" read it with the mindset of every believer in Christ around the world no matter what denomination or "church building" they go to. For example:

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with every believer in Christ around the world in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each believer in Christ around the world no matter what denomination or "church building" they go to according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”

(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the every believer in Christ around the world for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (which is every believer in Christ around the world), until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Does it make sense? How did Paul say the body of Christ grows? Seriously, did Paul mention the things you did? How does the body grow? Screens, lights, songs before, after?

Did you see how many times Paul used the word _love_, and the word _one_? I would be so bold to say that the Churches of Christ denomination (and any other denomination) is loosing "members" because they have forgotten what Christ said about how the world would know us. The world would know us by our love for one another.

When is the last time you or another member of the "church building" you go to went to the other group of believers nearest you and loved them? How about, next Sunday, instead of going to your "church building", go to the nearest Christian assembly of believers to you, sit, participate, and enjoy the message, music and fellowship. Afterwards invite everyone who can make it over for Sunday dinner to your house. Spend the afternoon with them. After that, the following Sunday, find the closest next Christian assembly of believers. Do this until you've covered the entire city and back at your own assembly.

Looking forward to hearing what obeying Christ will do in His Body!

Love you, brother!!

[theophilus.dr]

James, your post in an important one, and I believe it opens some issues as to why the "institutionalized church" is failing, including the CoC, which is also being led by competitive thinkers and academicians toward further control by organization.  (I have been all of those, myself).  You seem to be gifted for being able to see from a global perspective as well as from a detailed one, and to relate the two.  In that line of thought, there may be more perspective to be seen from an even higher altitude, which, in turn, give some direction to occurrences on the ground.  God created the natural universe runs by cycles.  Everything in the physical realm is governed by natural law which produces recurrent events in a certain time frame -- economic, political, generational, society, etc.  When the church operates out of the physical (i.e., "the flesh"), the church organization cycles with the natural, because the natural is driving it.  I have been in the CoC for 7 decades; I am a member and retired elder.  I have seen the CoC go from "anti-all" to "debates" to "bus programs" to "gyms are ok" to "evangelical" to "driven purposely" to "Creek Willow" to "missional" to "let's be friendly" to ???  There's more, but each of these methods has been "the latest and greatest" compared to what in the past was supposed to work but didn't, or fizzled out.   

You knocked on an important door when you talked about the value of "testimony."  That is relational.  For whatever reason, God desires fellowship with His highest creation -- which is us -- in His image.  Our job as individuals is grow to be like God (Eph. 4:24), because the more you know someone and are like someone, the more you have in common to share with them.  The church's job is to promote that relationship so that everyone grows into God's image - parts working together, builds itself up in love, until we all reach ..... (Eph. 4:11-16).  Anything that is done by an individual or the church should pass a question -- "How does this make me grow into the character of Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God?"  The church attendance grows from 200-500.  That's nice; has that growth of the assembly made every person more like God?  Use a buzzword -- "intentional."  Does having instrumental music make me more like God?  How?  (Don't know, but it'll bring them in and they'll get saved and...  How's that been working for us?)  How does having 360 degree screens going 3-D and 120 db help me to be more like God?  And, maybe it does; I'm not saying it doesn't or can't.  But if we make these modifications to appeal to right brain people, we will get people who seek experience and not a total submission to Jesus.  And, too often, that's what happens.  How does this new building make this church operate more like Jesus so that each member is growing into the image of the Creator God?  Don't dismiss those as platitudes because you don't know the answer, because a natural cycle will be the otherwise outcome.  The church is relational; God is relational.  We become like God when we act like Christ to one another.  Love, peace, and unity are action verbs and they are choices.  Ignoring one another, getting my way or I leave, competitive groups -- do not grow people into the image of God. 

That is the increase in altitude -- get high enough to see Jesus and bring the character of Jesus down to the earthly details in our relations within the church.  To the extent we have eyes on one another, we are operating out of the flesh.  People should come into church fellowship not because we do the world one better, but because they see the image of Jesus Christ being built into every relationship within the church and every marriage.  Come and be a part of that.  Then let's talk about growing from 200 to 500.  Then let's get the church together for a praise service.

I appreciate your blog and post.  It is a vital subject.  Not surprising that I have voluminous pontifications, myself, on a web site and blog.

Thanks and God bless.

[Tim Neale]

Nice post, James.  I love that so many of our larger churches are embracing the technology of our times and using it to create an experience.  I certainly does work in attracting younger people to our assemblies.  Just as important as having those nice screens and lights is great content.  Our churches must also invest in content creators that create video that is current and relevant to the local church.  This has the most impact, I have found.

Speaking to Ken Ngoje's comment, having traveled to Kenya many times and worshiped in their churches, I am more convinced that local autonomy is still a good principle of the CofC fellowship.  In the western world, we do live in an Apple, image based culture but most Kenyans do not.  Most do not have access to much television or internet, so the print ans spoken word are still their primary communications vehicles.  Their culture is emerging from post-colonialism and tribalism and they are strongly drawn to reason and good preaching.  The church of Christ is growing there primarily because of this.  In Nairobi, were westernization is happening faster, they must be able to do things their own way to be relevant to their local area.  Up-country it is different.  Central control of the church would lead to even stronger divisions than we have seen in America.

[James Nored]

Linda, thank you for sharing. No, this is not news to you. But it is to many of our people, particularly if they did not grow up in the current generation.

[James Nored]

Here is an added note for those who read this blog initially. I added this just to be clear.

NOTE - This DOES NOT mean that we have to throw away truth or that these are the only things that we need to do. Hardly. But it may mean that if we speak the language of our culture, they may actually listen to our message. I am not at all for watered down messages or fluff. Telling powerful stories of how God is at work--a conversion story, a story of service, a story of living holy lives, a story of spiritual formation in the home, a story of a marriage coming back together--is not fluffy entertainment. These are powerful stories told well and powerfully. And that should impact everyone. And maybe it will help people to listen and "take in" important truths about Christ, baptism, and the Christian walk.

I am sure that at some point flannel graph was considered a new fangled technology. And Power Point. And microphones. And air conditioning and padded pews. (Go back and read early Restoration history--there are tons of railings against padded pews and the like.) Every generation is comfortable with whatever technology/communication medium they grew up with, and uncomfortable with ones that they did not. It is the responsibility of those most mature in Christ to be the most generous in their personal preferences to those who are most in danger of being lost or missed. That is what being incarnational means.

[James Nored]

Hi Troy. Thank you for sharing! What you have described is a church that has not compromised on core issues like grace, faith, and baptism, but has decided to share the gospel in a way that people today can understand. 

I am always glad to hear of growing churches, and whatever positive things that I can learn from them I want to do. To go from 200 to 600 members in 5 years is pretty remarkable. Where are you guys located? Thank you for sharing!

[Linda Hood]

I grew up c of C, appreciate the foundation I received and love all of my brothers and sisters there. This info is not news to me, it's been happening for years.  I just want to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, hear His voice and say "Yes" to what he invites me to join Him do.  I am naturally drawn to other believers who seek the same.  I don't really care what the sign outside says, just want to worship and fellowship with others who love God first, are daily inviting Him to search their hearts, know their thoughts and point out anything that offends Him, admit they are wrong, repent, desire to have less of self and more of Him transforming them from the inside out.  For me this usually involves a lot of emotion as I let go of self and surrender my will to His.  So I feel more at home worshipping in an environment where I am drawn through music, words and the prompting of the Holy Spirit to express outwardly what I'm going through inside.  I don't even care if it's only a handful of people I'm really intimate with in sharing the common kingdom life or a 1000 who have learned to let go of ego and let God shine through.  Anxious to find them in SC where I've recently moved!

[Troy Shepherd]

Hi James

Me:  Grew up in the CofC, Dad is a CofC Elder, went to a CofC college, Worship leader in a CofC for the last 15+ years (I started early). Married a CofC girl, from a CofC family with a CofC Elder father-in-law .  October of 2012, Left the CofC and took my wife and kids with me to go to a growing Christian Church in the area.  

I know the drill.  You either go to the Church of Christ, or you don't go to church anywhere.  Right?  Right!  And all of those things that you want to bring into the church to entertain us...they are going to lead us into a slippery slope of sin and destruction.  Right?  Right!

My wife and I recently attended the mandatory membership meeting at our church.  It was 4 hours of proof that all the things I've been thinking all these years are correct.  Thank goodness I'm so smart :).  Remember, this is a Christian Church, you know, the part of the Church of Christ that we aren't supposed to recognize.  The first hour and a half was spent on grace, adult baptism by your own decision, and what it means to be a member of a church.  I was good to go. For the next 2.5 hours, I finally understood what it meant to be in a growing church.  Everything they do is focused around a target market.  The elders have decided that the target market for our church is "Married men with small children".  I looked at myself and realized that it worked.  That's me.  Every decision our church makes is based on the target market.  What type of music should we use during worship?  How do we light the stage?  What type of check-in process is used for our children's ministry?  What does the minister wear on the stage?  Every decision is based on the target market.  Will it appeal to the "married man with small children"?  Of course, every market is somewhere on the target, just not in the middle.  Single women, college kid, grandma, etc.  They are all represented somewhere on the target, but not in the middle.  This helps to bring the central focus around strong families with men leading them.  

Every single one of your 8 points that you made toward the latter of your blog are exactly what our church uses.  Video, projection screens, bright stage lights, dim audience lights, relevant sermons that we can take home and apply, testimonials (stories), pre and post music between services, engaging your whole self to worship, and a strong emphasis on community and growth groups.  Guess what?  They all do this while staying true to the message of Christ.  We live in Pittsburgh, an 85% catholic area.  This church was 200 members 5 years ago.  We are now at 600 members, with 500 weekly attendance.

Your blog is 100% correct.  It's been proven to work.  We must be willing to try new things and now worry about them failing, but keeping your mission on the target market.  Let's change the target market from "what will keep grandma happy" to something that will grow and sustain God's Kingdom here on earth.

[ken Ngoje]

Thanks James for this insight. It is very true that the Church of Christ is Shrinking. this is quite evidence in Africa too. I agree with you that the worship service need some reorganization. However in Kenyan case where some fellowships have introduced instrument to their service the  result is just still the same. 
I strong feel there is a need of a strong relevant leadership.  we need to rethink of our tradition of every congregation being autonomous . An early church had a kind of a centralized system of leadership; the evidence is in the book of acts where we find a council at Jerusalem comprising of  Apostles and elders and also in the book of Titus where Paul charged Titus to appoint elders in every town.(probably not every congregation). many leave the church because of lack of direction, vision and accountable leadership.
many would like to see and not hear a gospel. take a  case where all church elders are living immoral life. who are they accountable to. where can members take their complain. the best they can do is to leave and look for a fellowship where people preach and live the gospel because the the leaders know that other than being accountable to God there is also an immediate office  which they are accountable to. 

The central system of leadership also foster unity and oneness. we are in age of numbers. China is becoming world power because of its economic strength.  when we are claiming that we the true church while in our fellowship there are only ten members and this particular congregation cannot fellowship with other congregation in brotherhood because of some differences in form of worship then very few will join us.

this is my thought and I would like to hear from others on the same

[James Nored]

Thanks, Sarah, for your thoughts. The emotional connection, including joy, is very much part of what I was seeking to get at. Beyond a merely cerebral faith. The heart and mind and soul must all go together.