Where is your church focussed?

by Rev. Tommy Davidson                                                                                                    Vol. XX, No. 4, April 2007

             Pastor, Riverside Baptist Church, Newport News

Every church is either inwardly or outwardly focussed. The choice of direction makes all the difference in the world.

Congregations that are turned inward are just holding on. They're maintaining. They're afraid to take risks. Their goal seems to be to avoid rocking the boat and their major concern is to keep the present members happy and satisfied.

These fellowships gear all their programming and activities toward the folks who are already here. Very little, if any, emphasis is put on deliberately, actively reaching out beyond the walls to impact the lost who are out there. Usually every worship experience, Bible study, dinner, or fun event is set up for the blessing and convenience of those inside the fold. No planning is done to target specific needs of the unchurched and no real concerted, purposeful effort is made to lovingly move outside the box, out of comfort zones, and touch those individuals with an approach that might hook them on the Gospel.

Don't misunderstand. Churches must take care of their own. We need to meet together in our huddle for encouragement, spiritual nourishment, accountability, prayer, sharing of joys and hurts, and times of refreshing laughter (Ephesians 4: 11-16; Hebrews 10:25). We need to visit our sick and disciple our army for spiritual combat. Without "family gatherings" we lose our core, our identity, our sense of mission. But the game isn't played in the huddle!

Just visiting our shut-ins and clinging tightly to sound doctrine and laboring tirelessly to craft programs that will feed our own and allow the existing membership to stay comfortable will not guarantee that we're being obedient to the Lord's plan in Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, and Matthew 9:37-38. A high percentage of American congregations are plateaued and declining right-now because of this inward focus. And frankly, the reason why so many churches are fussin' and fightin' and splittin' is because they turned in on themselves, became picky and critical and negative, and often over the silliest little stuff when there's a world out there going to Hell.

How much better it must be to change course and become an outward-focussed fellowship. To get intentional about reaching our communities for Christ. To try lots of new things to "scratch where people are itching". To refuse to just sit on our hands.

[Adapted from The Beacon, the newsletter of Riverside Baptist Church, 17 March 2005.]