Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Oct/96

Contributor - Art VanderMeulen

Title - How Are Things In Your Church? The Congregational Report Card is Out!

Topic - Church Health

-report of the president, to the Regional Synod of Canada, at its Annual General Meeting.

Life in Canada is changing. Political realities are changing. Economic realities are changing. Religious values are changing. Moral values are changing. It used to be that life was predictable, based on what had been. That is no longer so.

The Quebec referendum made us realize that. The majority of Canadians, outside of Quebec, tried to ignore the tedium of the 'neverendum' campaign. Then, one night in October, our country was very nearly taken away from us. Since then, citizens groups have been springing up across the country, trying to mobilize Canadians to do something about our constitutional quagmire.

The political leadership has changed hands in several of the provinces, and along with those changes have come new ways of doing things. Those new ways have caused a lot of turmoil in different regions. Labour unrest and economic uncertainty are standard fare for the news of the day.

Other facets of life in Canada, which make life somewhat uneasy, are crime and violence, injustice in the justice system, and what some call the dismantling of our social system.

Add to this mix the announcement by the United Nations that Canada is no longer considered to be a 'Christian' nation, and we had better realize that it is time to wake up and smell the coffee. Spiritual values are shifting rapidly away from the centre of the historic Christian faith. The search is on for spirituality, not God, and Canadians are looking everywhere for it, most notably within themselves.

It is that philosophical shift, to the self at the centre, that lies behind the spiritual wanderings, the moral dilemmas, the economic woes, and the political ineptitude of life in Canada today. This is just a quick sketch of the context of life in Canada. In this big picture, how is the church of Jesus Christ doing'? In particular, how are the congregations of the Regional Synod of Canada, RCA, doing?

A Report Card on the Church

The purpose of this report is to give a commentary report card on the churches of the RSC, RCA, and, if necessary, make recommendations that will alter our course and keep us on track with what God wants us to be and do.

Good Things Are Happening!

Worship

One of the items reported on by a number of our congregations is Development in the area of worship- More and more congregations now have worship committees that share in the responsibilities of planning, leading, and evaluating congregational worship. These are the same congregations that report a changing understanding of, and a growing enthusiasm for, worship of God. This is exciting news. When Jesus Christ is the centre of worship, then it is spiritually normal that we grow, learn, and make changes. Worship is the heartbeat of a congregation. It is encouraging that more and more congregations are showing signs of life in their worship.

Small Groups

Another significant trend in our congregations is the movement towards cell/small groups. It used to be enough to have one pastor-led Bible study in the church for anybody and everybody. Not any more! Small groups of spiritual nurture (care, prayer, teaching, worship, and accountability) are biblical and effective. In a small group, any individual can get personalized spiritual help and support from the body. Small groups are also a great place to invite newcomers and even nonChristian seekers. The churches who are implementing small groups as a part of their overall strategy are seeing benefits of spiritual development throughout all aspects of their congregational life.

Spiritual Gifts

These changes in approaches to worship and Christian nurture reflect a growing understand of the place of spiritual gifts in the lives of individual Christians and in the body of Christ. The Word of God describes the Holy Spirit as enabling individuals to do particular things for the benefit of the people of God. The New Testament is very specific in saying that every individual has been given at least one gift by the Holy Spirit. Churches that give people the opportunity to use their spiritual gifts are exciting churches to be a part of. That is reflected in their attitude about themselves, what they do, and their willingness to be used in ways for which God has gifted them.

Red Flags!

Attendance

A concern for most of our churches has to do with low or declining numbers of people attending worship or being involved in the activities of the church. This is not a new development.

The responsibility for people not participating in the life of the church is often laid at the feet of those very people. "If only they would be more committed," we say. As if what it means to be a committed Christian is to attend worship and be involved in the church. It is time the church accept responsibility for itself. If people tend to leave the church because of a lack of commitment, guilt induced attendance will not make the church more healthy. What needs to be addressed, in the first place, 'Is not the lack of commitment of those who leave, but the quality of health in the church that doesn't recognize or address those needs a lot earlier.

Programs

As I perused the Consistorial Reports, I noticed something else, which also waves the red flag of concern in my mind. In response to the question, 'What has been significant in the life of our congregations this past year?" the vast majority of congregations reported program news. Now, I understand that much of the life of the local congregation revolves around what it does, and when things go well, and are even mildly successful, that is exciting news. And that is exactly my concern.

Biblically, the church is first of all defined by who we are. We are people who have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, who died for us, and rose from the dead. That we belong to God transforms us, re-orients our focus, and changes our perception of reality. Secondly, and only in relation to this first point, the church is also defined by what it does. At the top of the list of things we do are the worship of God, evangelism to the unsaved, and the discipleship of the saved. Our focus is always on God and on doing what He wants us to do. It concerns me that the highlights of congregational news from the whole year are primarily problematic in nature. Is not the church a spiritual entity first of all? Is not what the church does spiritual in nature, first of all?

Conclusion

Attendance, programs, and levels of participation in the life of the church are barometers of how the church is doing, not the goals.

Did Jesus die so that we could do church the way we do? I think not. It is high time that the church, through its leaders, got back on track with God's purposes and desires for His body in the world!

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