Church Archives - Page 8 of 9 - Church Planters' Workshop

Irrelevant Churches

January 17, 2023October 7, 2022 by David Cox

Irrelevant Churches

Irrelevant Churches: Church’s Failure to be Relevant
By David Cox – Irrelevant Churches

This signpost of a dying church is when there is a duplicity between what people live and think, and the crises and problems that they experience day-in day-out, and what is preached and taught in the church. Simply put, the church is not relevant. What the pastor thinks is good sermon material is not really very good at all.

What is a biblical New Testament Church?

January 17, 2023June 17, 2022 by David Cox

What is a biblical New Testament Church? There is a principle that says, you cannot hit a target if you don’t know what it is. Simply put, we as “church” cannot be “church” if we don’t have a firm concept of what “being the church” consists of. I read works by people who attack and are antagonistic to the traditional church (mostly negativism), and those who would transform it into something else.

Fixing a Ruined Church

November 11, 2023June 10, 2022 by David Cox

Fixing a Ruined Church is an article and suggestions on how to fix a ruined, sick church by getting back to the basics of what a church is and should be.

I read an article named, 4 Starter Ideas for the Care and Treatment of an Unhealthy Church (a good article by the way), and in it, it mentions some tips on how to “treat” the patient of an unhealthy church. From that general idea I want to expand on some of my thoughts of that post.

Why we should go to a plural eldership?

January 17, 2023October 22, 2021 by David Cox

Why we should go to a plural eldership? (for pastors)

Topic: plural eldership
by David Cox 1998

The question presented is one that can simply be answered, because the plurality model is the biblical representation of local church government. In other articles I wish to present, I will deal with specific issues and especially the biblical basis, but in this article I would like to present a general argument on the basis of some Scriptures and some common sense.

When we look at the local church, many typically have a single pastor which does the majority of the preaching, teaching, and administration of the local church. There are usually a small group of men who are called deacons who approve the financial affairs of the local church. The attitude of our typical local church is one that would be summed up in the following, “we pay the pastor to do the work of the ministry, so why should we get involved?” The exception is that of finances, but other than that and some Sunday School classes, most of the work of the ministry is laid on the shoulders of one man, the pastor.

Few Outwardly Focused Ministries

January 17, 2023October 8, 2021 by David Cox

Few Outwardly Focused Ministries

Few Outwardly Focused Ministries
By David Cox

Following our study of 7 Deadly sins of a dying church, the next one is that they have few outwardly focused ministries. The key here is introspection, or a selfishness of doing everything for their own selves. As a missionary, I have experienced some 50 years of watching things in local churches. At one time churches rallied around their work abroad, and today, church after church either just does not support missions at all, or their missions budget is sending their own people on joy rides around the world (mission trips) where the go to England to pass out some tracts, and mostly see sights.