Churches are apathetic to
reproduction. According to a recent poll done by Holy Soup on regular church goers,
only fifty-one percent of people attend church to worship God. The other half
shows up at church on Sunday mornings mostly out of obligation. Some of them go
to feel better or to be with friends (Schultz). If people who attend church
regularly have already lost interest to go church and their passion for Christ,
how are they suppose to make the church a more appealing place to the public
and invite them to church? The church is meant to reproduce. As the body of
Christ, Christians should work together in evangelizing to the world, thus
expanding the kingdom of God.
The
first reason for churches to reproduce is because the number of churches has decreased
yearly. Based on statistics provided by Church Leadership on churches in
America, more
than four thousand churches close their doors every year, compared to just over
a thousand new church starts (Krejcir)! If this staggering figure continues, in
less than one hundred year all the churches in the United States will close
down.
Moreover, our nation’s population
is increasing every year from high birth rates and immigrants from around the
world. Therefore, to fit the needs of people in this country, to respond to
their cry, every Christian ought to participate and contribute to church growth
to transform this world.
Furthermore,
the reason for the deterioration in church growth is simply because the church
itself has lost its attractiveness to the unsaved. Over the years, the church
has become more like a Christian-entertaining center where believers gather.
There is almost a wall that formidably separates the church and the public.
People are afraid to go to church because they feel like they are too sinful,
or that they do not belong in a group of public worshippers who proclaim their
faith out loud with hymns and prayers. This is often why non-believers refuse
to go to church. “The church is full of hypocrites”, said one anonymous person who
was interviewed by America Preachers. In a generation where excitement and fun
is prioritized, the church plays a huge role in advancing itself to the public
and helping them understand God’s love – one that fulfills void and emptiness.
The church has to be intentional in its search for lost sheep to bring them
back to their shepherd.
Secondly,
the Islam religion is increasing rapidly. According to statistics from the U.N.,
Islam is now the world’s second largest religion after Christianity. U.N. statistics
state that the annual growth rate of Islam is around 6.40% compared to Christianity’s
1.46% during the same time period. Also according to these statistics, one in
five people on the planet are Muslim, either by birth or geographical reference
(TDI). For a couple of months straight, the al-Quran was the number one
downloaded app on the App Store for smartphones. It is time for the church to
respond in a more aggressive way through church growth and reproduction. The
church must multiply to appeal to the needs of people who are wandering around
seeking the truth.
Through
active childbirth and persecution of Christians, the population of Muslims has
significantly increased. According to Islam’s rules and teachings, every
newborn child in a Muslim family is considered a Muslim. If the child is to
forfeit his belief in Islam, his parents must abandon him and he is no longer
treated as their children. In countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan,
people are forced to convert to Islam so that they do not get killed or
tortured. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 12 that the church as the Body of
Christ is meant to function in a way which believers can seek spiritual growth
and comfort together. If there are no churches, or at least a group of
believers to encourage one another amidst the persecution, how are Christians
suppose to stay firm in their faith? With countries in the Middle East being
the main target of Christian persecution, the church must no longer stay content
within the walls of a building. Through methods such as prayers and donations,
believers must actively engage in this spiritual warfare. The church must
identify where spiritual needs are at its highest, and then do its best to
reproduce and offer assistance.
Last
but not least, it is the church’s duty to reproduce! Before Jesus ascended into
heaven, He gave the well-known Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, saying, “Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”.
Christ, being graceful, does not command believers to do this alone. Jesus
promised His followers in Acts 1:8 that the Holy Spirit will grant them power
to evangelize to the whole world. With all of commandments and promises, the
church has an absolute responsibility to make disciples from all nation, races,
tribes and tongues. As it was prophesied in Revelations 4, there will be a day
where people from all nations bow down before the throne of God. The church has
to be intentional in leading the effort to bring the world to Christ.
The
book of Acts provides a very good example of how the early church grew from
twelve apostles of Jesus to a church with hundred thousand members. The gospel
is extended to the Gentiles, from Jerusalem to Rome. With the election of
leaders in the church, the apostles were able to focus on their ministry,
giving their attention to prayer and ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4). It is
seen clearly in Acts that the church functions as a unit to expand and produce
a daughter church in other places that contains high amount of spiritual need.
The modern day church is not much different from the church in Acts and it is
definitely the church’s duty to follow the example of early church growth.
As
the day of the Lord approaches, Christians must no longer stay comfortable
within the walls of the church, having fellowship among one another without
deep concern for people outside of the church. It is time for believers to
unite and gather their power, so that the unreached can be reached, and the
lost can be found. May the effort that is put into this work stomp and shake
hell’s door. The church must reproduce, so that by the day Jesus comes, they
may be praised as the good and faithful servants (Matthew 25:21).
