STEWARDSHIP OF THE CHURCH

                                                             

                                                                
In meditating on the subject of stewardship, I find it is usually restricted to the responsibility of the individual church member.  Frequently, the parable of the steward in the New Testament is used to teach that we, as believers, must give account of our stewardship.

But, if we carry it a little farther, should not the body of believers in the local church be accountable for corporate stewardship?  Since the church is all about ministry, there will have to be agreement on the results of the ministry put forth by the church.  As I see it, there are only two main objectives in such ministry, with all of the church's activities working together to produce the desired results.  One of the aspects is evangelism which can be evaluated is the number won for Christ; the other is discipleship of believers that results in their maturation.

Evangelism could be termed those who are saved from sin, while the beginning of the process of discipleship is a believer's being saved from himself.  This is defined in Luke 14:27 where we read: "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."  The sinner repents of sin and believes that Jesus died for him; the believer repents of flesh and believes he died with Jesus.  The unbeliever is saved from his sin, and the believer is saved from himself!

Just as the number of those who are born again is frequently tabulated to portray the results of evangelistic thrusts, the same may be done of those whose lives are transformed as believers-the beginning of a life-long process of discipleship.  However, the latter is ill-taught in the majority of churches with little or no discipleship being done.
If both of these avenues are assiduously pursued, there should be results which can be quantified;  if we do consistent planting, there should be some reaping in due season.   Negligible results in either category should be cause to question the stewardship of the church.  The machinery may be kept running with all of the gears properly oiled, but the lack of tangible and quantifiable results should bring stewardship into question.

In either case, something is amiss if souls are not being saved or lives of believers are not being regularly transformed.  At least, a regular report should be given to the body for praise and thanksgiving. The waters of the baptistry should be stirred regularly.  Then, the Holy Spirit would transform the lives of believers on a regular basis if scriptural discipleship were routinely practiced, which would result in greatly increased evangelism.  Why should believers desire to export what is not working at home in their own lives?

In any church, there is a good percentage of hurting believers who would be candidates for intensive discipleship which would result in transformed lives, if it were offered.  However, an unbeliever goes to a church and is given an answer by being led to our Lord; on the other hand, a believer goes for an answer and is given a referral all too frequently.  The vast majority of believers who are presently treated by mental health workers could be ministered to by the local church if credible, remedial discipleship were an option!

As far as I can read from the scriptures, these are the only two reasons (evangelism and discipleship) for the existence of the local church besides fellowship and worship.  A possible third emphasis would be to do the same in missions outreach.  Accountability for the funds invested in missions should be reflected in stewardship reports from affiliated ministries or from those who go out from the local church on short-term missions.

Rarely does any one of them report the lives of believers being transformed due to missions outreach or discipleship; just as at home, precious little is done on the mission field besides evangelism and some community projects.

The lack of tangible results in both areas should be sufficient cause to evaluate the entire ministry and make the necessary adjustments that the body of believers might be productive.  Continuing to support a ministry where lives are not being impacted regularly indicates a lack of stewardship oversight on the part of church leadership.
Of course, the whole congregation has such responsibility;  but the elected leaders bear the brunt of such breach of stewardship before God.  It is obviously easier to let a church ministry rock along until it becomes so ineffective that everyone can see that it must be addressed.

However, those who were in need during all of this process will have been neglected when many would have been open to ministry in their lives. Lacking such ministry, they drop out of church or move on to another where the same syndrome is very likely to be repeated so that such a hapless individual concludes that the church does not have an answer.

Since human need is going to multiply exponentially in the very near future, isn't it time that we examined individual and corporate stewardship to prepare for such an onslaught?  The need has been there and has gone wanting, but it will soon be impossible to ignore.  Too, those to whom referrals are made routinely could be too busy looking for answers to give any . . . .  What will the church tell them?

  -  Charles R. Solomon, Ed. D.

Crowding the Church to Christ

As with the individual,
So is the church's plight;
Holding steady or losing ground,
Though trying with all its might!

Consisting mainly of believers
Who are giving life their best,
It should come as no surprise
That few have entered promised rest. (Heb. 4:10,11)

Death must work in us (Gal. 2:20)
So that life might work in others; (2 Cor. 4:12)
Conversely, when self-life works in us
Death will result in our brothers.

With the church being a composite,
Its identity drawn from within;
There'll be a downdraft on its efforts
Caused by the power of sin.

Revival is the only answer
Following the preaching of the Cross; (1 Cor. 1:18)
Ministering in the strength of flesh
Will cause the church to suffer loss.

The flesh must be exposed,
Whether in the pulpit or the pew;
The Spirit reveals the Cross one by one
If believers He's to live through.

When Christ-life shapes the church,
Petty bickering is bound to cease;
As the Spirit is allowed full sway,
 It will know His promised peace.

When lives are transformed
And renewed minds are the norm,
New Testament living will again be seen
As to His image we're made to conform. (Rom. 8:29)

The lost will come to Christ
When they witness resurrection power;
Churches becoming known for this
Is the urgent need of the hour!

C. R. Solomon, August 25, 2008

A Church Being Saved from Itself

In a day when the majority of churches have either reached a plateau or are declining in most aspects of measurement, there are many speculations about a remedy to render the church both effective and efficient in a culture with dire needs.  However, most adjustments in ministry are just that, rather than a drastic overhaul to match ministry to the glaring need.

Messages on evangelism, prophecy, history, and the like, will result in new believers and some adolescent Christians; but very few are nurtured to maturity.  That being the case, there is much infighting and competition, but precious little in the way of true discipleship. The seeker sensitive movement has given people what they want, rather than what they need, which has resulted in large numbers in attendance in a short time, but few disciples, at a time when true disciples are the need of the hour!  It is reminiscent of comparing the growth of an oak and a squash; the squash will grow very quickly, but a strong oak will take years.
In order to understand what must take place, it is necessary to analyze what has brought us here in an overview of the history of a typical church in recent generations.  Understanding the pattern of the waxing and waning of a church can lead to the solution that the Holy Spirit would bring about to revive the church and set a new course.

Since churches have been built primarily on evangelism, to the near exclusion of discipleship, various programs and incentives have been implemented which substituted activity for productivity, to a large degree.  Most such programs were designed and implemented in human strength and wisdom.

As will be seen in the following diagram, the life of the church begins to sag and is bolstered by more programs with the eventual conclusion that a new pastor with differing gifts will be the 'shot in the arm' that is needed.  When a number of solutions and pastors have been tried, the church may be reorganized; and the process is started all over again, or it may be declared dead and have its doors closed.

Rarely is it discerned that it should not be allowed to die a natural death but, rather, be guided through a spiritual death and resurrection to minister in the power of the Spirit.  Just as an individual believer may try all sorts of self help, Christian and otherwise, prior to coming to the end of himself and finding victory, it is my conviction based on four decades of experience, that a church can, and should, experience a similar transformation. Since most have never been through this process, they do not know there is a bottom, nor that the Spirit will transform the life of the church and give a whole new lease on ministry.

Since comparatively few believers have been guided through this process, it will be obvious that few, indeed, are the churches which will have been transformed in this way.  Since it is difficult to guide one believer through the death/resurrection process with his full cooperation, it will be vastly more difficult to convince a church, consisting of mostly fleshly believers, that such is the problem and the solution.  As a comparison, it is much easier to turn around a canoe than a large ship!

During the downward progress to the Cross, there will be much resistance, both voluntary and involuntary.  For the church to experience victory, it will be necessary for the individual members to experience such victory.  Once a number of individuals have appropriated the Cross, they will have to lead, by lip and by life, others who have yet to enter in.  When a church recognizes the downward progress for what it is, it is possible (and preferable) to heed the signals and submit to the Cross voluntarily rather than wait until the inevitable happens where there is no choice.  In other words, it is not necessary to go all the way to the bottom and learn the hard way when we can become obedient and cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He purposes to do a deeper work in the life and ministry of the church.

However, just as with the individual believer, most churches will have to exhaust their own resources before casting themselves on God's merciful intervention.  With the wealth of materials, media, and resources at its disposal, there is much to bolster human wisdom and dedication in the discharge of ministry.  Since "everyone is doing it", there is little reason to question an approach to ministry that has numbers and facilities to buttress the appearance of success.  The mega churches have had success based on numbers, but they are finding that they have made few disciples and, therefore, have gone the wrong direction.

Usually, it is only as the indicators all turn in a negative direction that our Lord can get the undivided attention of the leadership for a prolonged period of time.  When they have given it their best shot and must admit defeat, God can use it to open them to an answer not previously considered.  Sometimes, it is only at this point that they will be ready for an answer rather than an argument!

As with the individual believer, so with the church, it always boils down to an issue of control, however defined.  If our Lord is to take control, the church must lose control.  If it has not lost control, it is yet in control; if it is yet in control, it is really out of control!  Losing control is always a frightening prospect, even though we know that His control will be infinitely superior to our own.  The way ahead is uncharted, but the Holy Spirit is eminently qualified to navigate troubled waters to His destination for which He will receive all the glory.

Needless to say, it will require leaders who have undergone the process to supervise during the transition, and afterward, as the church enters upon a spiritual ministry which was heretofore unknown.  Not only that, but it will be called upon to coach other churches in the same process.  Just as individual believers who find victory need fellowship with other such believers, revived or renewed churches need to band together to encourage each other and to inspire other churches which, knowingly or unknowingly, have the same need.

Whereas the individual must learn the daily walk in the Spirit, the individual church must learn the expertise of daily ministry in the Spirit with few guidelines to pattern after.  In past major revivals, the process was mostly administered by the sovereign working of the Holy Spirit.  Due to leaders' lack of understanding of that which He had done, the revival fires soon died out and the church was back to its fleshly self to repeat the whole process over and over and pray that the Spirit will do it again!

The church cannot speak to the world with one voice until the Cross becomes central and replaces the program-centered ministry which we have known for most of the last century, with rare exceptions.  Just as in individual witnessing, where the lost need to see Jesus in a believer's life before his witness is effective, the world needs to see Jesus, not man-made programs and answers, in the Church.  It is impossible to follow the world and lead it at the same time!

Holding up the banner of the Cross presupposes living in the shadow of the Cross.  The Church must lose its life based upon living and witnessing in human strength, while asking for God's help, and demonstrate to the world that our Lord yet lives through His Church.

We have seen the Holy Spirit reveal Himself in individual lives for the past 40 years; it is my contention and conviction that He will do the same through individual churches which will obediently yield to the death/resurrection process as herein briefly described.  This rationale is outlined in more detail in Handbook to Happiness and You: A Spiritual Clinic by the author.

However, both pastor and people will necessarily be swimming against the tide of public and theological opinion when embarking upon this path!  It will be fraught with obstacles, as well as resistance from Satan.  He was defeated at the Cross; and it is losing our lives and the life of the church through the preaching of the Cross, the power of God, where Life in resurrection power is yet available!  As with the individual so with the church, once it is accepted that the church must come to the end before it can start at the beginning, cooperation with the Holy Spirit can hasten the progress to the Cross so that resurrection life may be released.

The world must see a church triumphant if it is to be taken seriously!  Once the miraculous is commonplace, the Church will have again earned the right to speak for God, and the world will once again stand in awe of a Holy God.

- Charles R. Solomon