How to Grow a Church
Church Growth Goals
Church Growth Goals
By Pastor-Missionary David Cox
We begin this series with defining Church Growth Goals. What it is not, and what it should be.
Church
Abusive Churches
Abusive Churches
By David Cox
Perhaps I should comment on the idea of an “abusive church”. An abusive church is a church that perhaps has orthodox doctrine but has practices and conduct that is not biblical, un-Christlike. Most commonly abusive churches are seen by their refusal to believe in and practice Christian liberty. In order for these people to control the brethren in a way that is advantageous for them, they also use unscriptural church discipline. By this I mean that they use tactics like public shame over issues that they do not have strong scriptural basis for, and they do it in an unscriptural way.
Let me digress with an example. For example, a pastor says that his members have to attend ALL church functions, and can only miss if they ask their pastor for permission first, and he grants it. A valid reason is that you are sick and dying in a hospital. Family reunions out of town, visiting another church, etc. are all invalid. The person ignores this imposed asking-permission structure, so the pastor now publicly says embarrassing things about the family, revealing private matters or joking in such a way as to cause the family shame, embarrassment, or discomfort on some level. Perhaps he removes the man from the deacon board suddenly, or removes either husband or wife from responsibilities or service in the church, because the pastor “has doubts”. The point is to use press to cause wayward members to tow the line. This psychological pressure is what makes them abusive. (Here I would exclude members who are serving, but the pastor or leadership removes them because of serious problems, such as marital separation, infidelity, or drinking/drug/sex problems. Also doctrinal heresy that comes to light would be a legitimate reason for removal.)
Irrelevant Churches
Irrelevant Churches
Irrelevant Churches: Church’s Failure to be Relevant
By David Cox – Irrelevant Churches
Those Great, Wonderful Missionary Works
Those Great, Wonderful Missionary Works examines the claim of great success when thousands are saved. But are they really?
Doctrinal Dilution
Doctrinal Dilution One of the things that marks the decline of a good church into a bad church is the gradual shift over doctrine. Starting with pure good doctrine, “other things” gradually enter in to force out the purity and concentration of the good. Marks of a Dead or Dying Church
Doctrinal Dilution
Doctrinal Dilution
1Timothy 6:3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
One of the things that marks the decline of a good church into a bad church is the gradual shift over doctrine. Starting with pure good doctrine, “other things” gradually enter in to force out the purity and concentration of the good. (Satan actually wants churches to have an appearance of good doctrine. What this does is it gives validity to the church. If the leadership is flexible in “his” hands, then he has the bait. Later he uses the pastor, leadership, people to contaminate many good people. The bait has to be good, and this is a good doctrine church. What happens is the slow drift because of the lack of resolve in the leadership.)
Notice that this is very real, but also very difficult to discern. What happens is that there is quality at the beginning, and then over time (all the while the church never stops teaching and preaching doctrine) the church changes its fervor and concentration of good doctrine into “something else.” Paul’s words to Timothy (1Tim 6:3) focuses on doctrine which causes godliness. It is unfortunate in our world that so many “men of God”, preachers, and pastors have taken the confrontation of sin as being something that is offensive and rejected wholesale by them. Sound doctrine causes holiness in those that hear and believe it. This is a key to understanding and preventing church decline in your church.
2 Timothy 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;