Are churches dying?

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Lanolin

Lanolin

Well-known member
#21
Dec 15, 2018
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#21
I think those 'sunday' churches of oldies will close as they are quite cliquey and they arent open to new believers.
I have heard of churches like that closing their doors because they cannot afford to keep their building. if they havent paid their mortgage. (yes, churches actually have mortgages?!)

Young people end up going to newer churches, or churches that just rent their premises. alot of people are not returning to the only open on sunday type churches, because basically most of the church land is actually just one huge parking lot. You cant do anything much on a parking lot. Alright if you have a car, but what about people ,that dont have one and cant drive to church.

People dont want to go there and sit for a couple of hours fighting for a carpark and paying for the privelige. Id rather go worship in a garden.
 
Lanolin

Lanolin

Well-known member
#22
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
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#22
Regarding miracles
some churches witness them more than others.
if you dont need a miracle then hallelujah you may be the few priveliged people that can afford to not to have them. lol
 
shittim

shittim

Senior Member
#23
Dec 16, 2016
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#23
If we don't want them, He may honor our wish, He usually does, hence the need for faith when working in His gifts, also He has to be in it and it seems He is far more interested in our eternity first than this our temporary condition, save that it may be for a sign for some reason.
best wishes
 
notuptome

notuptome

Senior Member
#24
May 17, 2013
15,050
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#24
Churches are not dying 90-95% are already completely dead.

For the cause of Christ
Roger
 
shittim

shittim

Senior Member
#25
Dec 16, 2016
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#25
Spiritually dead? Yes, pretty much, all going back to Constantine and the turning of relationship with Jesus into a once a week spectator sport.
 
notuptome

notuptome

Senior Member
#26
May 17, 2013
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#26
shittim said:
Spiritually dead? Yes, pretty much, all going back to Constantine and the turning of relationship with Jesus into a once a week spectator sport.
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Teaching today that which is emotional, void of doctrine and tickles the ears.

For the cause of Christ
Roger
 
shittim

shittim

Senior Member
#27
Dec 16, 2016
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#27
and they fail to teach relationship nor ask Holy Spirit to come and be in their midst.
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#28
Aug 13, 2014
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#28
Y'all should come visit my church. If you like God being in the middle of the service, you'd love it here.
 
S

StevenRachui

Member
#29
Mar 16, 2021
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#29
So by the discussion here a dead church (and I agree most are dead) are any churches that don't perform miracles. I will challenge you - show me anyone who has been raised from the dead. Show me anyone who has been miraculously healed - and make sure you follow their story to see if they continue to show up at 'healing' services' or see if they regress in their healing. Show me ANY healing that doesn't involve easily faked items. Show me where a person with sever deformation is healed. Where is an example of someone that has verified cancer being healed? Where is the example where someone who has been lame for years been healed? GIVE ME THOSE EXAMPLES. Can God do it? Yes, of course. Does he do it currently? No.
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#30
Aug 13, 2014
27,233
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#30
RickJones said:
The area where I live.. there are some large churches. But mostly it's very small churches. Less than 30 people showing up on a Sunday. And most of the people showing up are 60+ years old. There are very few young people attending these churches.

What is going to happen to these churches as their members pass away? There's nobody there to replace them that I can see.
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God will always have a church until the day He takes us home. Don't worry one bit about that.

The popularity of Christianity waxes and wanes depending on how hard up we as a nation are. Many churches are started when times are tough and being a Christian is popular. Some of them continue for a good few decades, long after the popularity that started them, as the groups of people find they like meeting their friends at a common spot every week and hearing some nice singing and a nice feel-good message.

Then that group starts getting older and dying off, and those churches start shutting down for lack of new members to replace the old. It's kind of sad, but it's not the end of God's church. It's more like the end of a country club.

Now there ARE a few... a very few... churches where God's spirit is felt, that are closing because no young people have joined in a long time and the elders are dying off. These are the exceptions in the ranks of dying churches though, not the rule. From what I've seen, generally a church where they really know God will have all age ranges.
 
Lynx

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
#31
Aug 13, 2014
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#31
StevenRachui said:
So by the discussion here a dead church (and I agree most are dead) are any churches that don't perform miracles. I will challenge you - show me anyone who has been raised from the dead. Show me anyone who has been miraculously healed - and make sure you follow their story to see if they continue to show up at 'healing' services' or see if they regress in their healing. Show me ANY healing that doesn't involve easily faked items. Show me where a person with sever deformation is healed. Where is an example of someone that has verified cancer being healed? Where is the example where someone who has been lame for years been healed? GIVE ME THOSE EXAMPLES. Can God do it? Yes, of course. Does he do it currently? No.
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You need to find a better church dude.

If God can, but doesn't, why bother ranting about it? If we who have seen miracles happen are wrong, why not just let us be wrong? Even the Bible says, (loosely paraphrased) "Leave these people alone. If this is just another mass movement, it'll die out on its own. But if it's legit from God and we go against it, we'll find ourselves fighting against God Himself."

I think it's in the last half of Acts chapter 5. Either way... if miracles are no longer done, leave those who believe in miracles to die of old age and the rest of society will move on. If God DOES still do miracles and you keep adamantly insisting He does not, you're gonna find yourself going up against God Himself.
 
shittim

shittim

Senior Member
#32
Dec 16, 2016
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#32
Very clear way to explain it , thank you and bless you in Jesus name.
I go where He sends me and for quite a while I have not heard the call to attend any where and have some of the greatest teaching available on the internet that has ever been. The sunday service at jglm was awesome with a young man sharing multiple manifestations of healing as he worked at the job the Lord directed him to.
 
R

RickJones

Member
#33
Apr 4, 2019
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#33
Lynx said:
Y'all should come visit my church. If you like God being in the middle of the service, you'd love it here.
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Where do you go to church at? I'm sure I don't live close by. I'm near Wichita.
 
R

RickJones

Member
#34
Apr 4, 2019
34
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#34
TheIndianGirl said:
To attract young people to the church, there needs to be other young people already there. This is a dilemma. However, everyone gets older so the church can also seek out other seniors. Nowadays people do not remain in the same place for their lifetime, so the kids in the church now may only stay there till 18 or so and then move away.
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What are churches doing to attract young people.. or any people at all? There are only two churches that I see doing any kind of recruiting and I wouldn't attend either of them ( or really call them a church ). The JW's and the Mormons. Their methods are scammy and feels like dealing with a used car salesman and what they have to offer is not at all for me. But they are out there and trying. My local churches... I can remember one time that one of their people came by and invited us to attend church. It was a local methodist church, and they must have gotten our information because we had just moved to town. I take that back... another church did come by and leave me a tract one time. That church has been permanently closed.

If churches aren't doing anything to get people to come to church, what do they think will happen? I dont' want to see these local churches die.
 
shittim

shittim

Senior Member
#35
Dec 16, 2016
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#35
Genuine faith is not meeting together and hearing someone talk about Jesus, it is experiencing Him, and experiencing the Trinity, that is how young people will come and stay.
 
D

DWR

Guest
#36
#36
shittim said:
Jesus disciples and continuing to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, preach the Gospel, the dying churches of today need to die as they at best talk about God and do not do as Jesus instructed us all to do if we are His.
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Just curious, have you healed the sick, raised the dead, or cleansed any lepers lately?
 
D

DWR

Guest
#37
#37
What I have noticed in my area is that those churches that refuse to compromise are getting smaller.
Those that are growing in numbers are the ones that seem to being offering a watered down Gospel, a false Gospel, or no Gospel at all, and have all types of programs to entertain people.
 
notuptome

notuptome

Senior Member
#39
May 17, 2013
15,050
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#39
DWR said:
What I have noticed in my area is that those churches that refuse to compromise are getting smaller.
Those that are growing in numbers are the ones that seem to being offering a watered down Gospel, a false Gospel, or no Gospel at all, and have all types of programs to entertain people.
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Sad but true. Scripture told us it would be so. Doctrine is eschewed and empty emotionalism is embraced.

2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

For the cause of Christ
Roger
 
shittim

shittim

Senior Member
#40
Dec 16, 2016
13,763
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#40
Yes, many churches and many who claim to be Christian look at body count, size of congregation, just as many who claim to be Christian look at material goods as a sign of His blessing when it may rather be a sign they have created idols for themselves.
 
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