THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH (6 OF 6)
by Joey Rodgers
Scripture: Ephesians 2:19-21
This content is part of a series.
The Doctrine of the Church (6 of 6)
Series: Anchored
Joey Rodgers
Various Text
Did you know in the US, as many as 6,000 churches are closing their doors each year... 6,000! According to recent statistics, church attendance/participation is in serious decline. I read this week that some polls show only 14% of Americans attend church on a regular basis (down from 45% in 1995) - and that 40% of millennials have no religious/spiritual affiliations at all - calling themselves - nons.
Last year, at the FCA banquet held right here on our campus, the head of FCA Coweta reported that only 7% of high school students in our area attend church on a regular basis. The question is WHY?
Obviously, there are a number of factors, cultural influences, sports, travel, church issues, and so on. Yet I believe one of the issues for the irrelevance of the church is a lack of understanding of why we exist.
In a day of church hoppers/shoppers, too many churches have become houses of entertainment instead of houses of koinonia. They've become religious gatherings instead of faith communities - and the result is too many churches are pedaling Christ w/out commitment to draw a crowd instead of influencing people into deep followship of Christ.
That's why if there was ever a day when Christians need to know what they believe about the church and why they believe it - it's today.
The N.T. describes the church as the ekklesia, which is a Greek means called out ones. Thus, the doctrine of the church is called ecclesiology. Now, when we speak of the church, we often do so in (2) ways - the local church and the universal church. The local church is where believers gather in community to spur one another along in intimacy w/ God and in fulfilling the Great Commission. The universal church is the greater faith community as a whole.
This AM, I want to take a few minutes to address the foundational realities of the church and their relevance to our commitment to Christi in ...
Series: Anchored
Joey Rodgers
Various Text
Did you know in the US, as many as 6,000 churches are closing their doors each year... 6,000! According to recent statistics, church attendance/participation is in serious decline. I read this week that some polls show only 14% of Americans attend church on a regular basis (down from 45% in 1995) - and that 40% of millennials have no religious/spiritual affiliations at all - calling themselves - nons.
Last year, at the FCA banquet held right here on our campus, the head of FCA Coweta reported that only 7% of high school students in our area attend church on a regular basis. The question is WHY?
Obviously, there are a number of factors, cultural influences, sports, travel, church issues, and so on. Yet I believe one of the issues for the irrelevance of the church is a lack of understanding of why we exist.
In a day of church hoppers/shoppers, too many churches have become houses of entertainment instead of houses of koinonia. They've become religious gatherings instead of faith communities - and the result is too many churches are pedaling Christ w/out commitment to draw a crowd instead of influencing people into deep followship of Christ.
That's why if there was ever a day when Christians need to know what they believe about the church and why they believe it - it's today.
The N.T. describes the church as the ekklesia, which is a Greek means called out ones. Thus, the doctrine of the church is called ecclesiology. Now, when we speak of the church, we often do so in (2) ways - the local church and the universal church. The local church is where believers gather in community to spur one another along in intimacy w/ God and in fulfilling the Great Commission. The universal church is the greater faith community as a whole.
This AM, I want to take a few minutes to address the foundational realities of the church and their relevance to our commitment to Christi in ...
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