Its no secret that themajority of people in this country are no longer attending church. Even many who would consider themselves bornagain believers seem to be disenchanted by the notion of being committed toany local congregation in a significant way.
Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4st1:*behavior:url(#ieooui) /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;Its no secret that themajority of people in this country are no longer attending church. Even many who would consider themselves bornagain believers seem to be disenchanted by the notion of being committed toany local congregation in a significant way. Despite some of the more positivestatistics concerning American church growth, since the 1960s theres been amarked decrease in involvement in the local church as a whole. Not long ago, in the city where we wereliving, five churches from a particular denomination closed their doors inorder to combine their ministries into a single congregation because they couldno longer support themselves individually.Although local church leaders put a great deal of effort into putting apositive spin on the consolidation, the unpopular truth was painfully obvious,these churches were in decline.
Granted the cause of shrinking churchattendance in the U.S.is as complex and varied as the people involved, or not involved as the case maybe. But if were one of those individualswho currently falls in the Christian-non-church-goer category, perhaps itstime to ask ourselves why? For many,the answer may be less insidious than we first thought.
Are you familiar with the social phenomenon that has come to be knownas cocooning? Since the advent of TV and now the internet, theoverwhelming trend in our nation is for people to become less and less sociallyinteractive and thus more and more relationally isolated. Not so long ago, the idea of havinglittle or no interaction with our closestneighbors was unthinkable. I oncehead an older southern gentleman remark that air conditioning was responsiblefor the downfall of his community. Hewent on to explain that in the South, everyone would go out on their frontporch in the evening to escape the heat.To avoid being labeled as rude they would be forced to participate in atleast some level of conversation with their neighbors. Though usually the dialogue was superficial, therewas certainly an expectation of frequent verbal interaction. Now, because of the transient nature of mostneighborhoods, a noticeable indifference toward those who live near us hasbecome not only acceptable, but in most cases, the unspoken norm. Geography is no longer the primary motivationfor interaction or relationship. Facebookalone has the potential of influencing the way many of us view life in acommunity. However, it is my contentionthat, just as watching a movie is seldom as impacting or meaningful as readinga book; cyber-relationships will never be an adequate substitute for physical,face to face interaction.
If youre aChristian, and youre not currently involved in any life giving relationshipswith other believers, consider this. Youwere created to function as a part of something much bigger than yourself. Our spiritual journey was not meant to betraveled alone. Put simply, we were madeto need one another. Maybe its time to tryout a few of your local churches. Not sothat we can be considered a church-goer, but in hopes of developing ameaningful relationship or two with someone who is spiritually headed in theright direction. Be assured, there isno perfect church. If theres peoplethere, count on it being prone to weakness and imperfection. The only answer to church problems is thediscipline of forgiveness and the willingness to maintain a graceful demeanortoward all others. The local church isstill the best hope for a lost and dying world.Dont give up on finding a good one, theyre out there! Heres a great link for finding churchesor achurch directory. www.churchpages.info/Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;
Church Pages is adirectory for locating Californiachurches and LosAngeles Churches
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