One of my main goals in life is to see that this church thing gets figured out. I heard a stat not long ago that 20% of United Methodist Churches in the Florida Annual Conference were growing.
Wow. Pretty cool.
Wait a second, that means that 80% of UMC churches in the Florida Annual Conference are either maintaining or dying.
That can't be right. However, when I quoted it to others, they didn't even blink. It was like..."Yeah, duh, that's true".
Given, people (bodies) aren't the only way to judge the effectiveness of The Church, but it's often a good indicator of how we're doing. More People = Doing Something Right. Less People = What's Going Wrong?
Again, generally.
I couldn't find a source for it (and still can't) but if this is true....something is ridiculously wrong.
I then heard someone else say (seriously less than a month ago) that the contemporary music movement might save The Church.
Really? I mean, I can see saying that ten years ago. But to be honest, contemporary music may have brought in more people, but it doesn't appear to be saving The Church (I use the capitals purposefully. Perhaps I'll write a blog on why later). And this is coming from someone who believes in contemporary worship more than anything. And someone who practices it regularly.
Here's the thing: Music is not going to save The Church.
What do I think is going to save The Church? Disciples.
-B