Rethinking the Foundational Questions

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In chapter one James White presents the five foundational questions
that a church must answer. One could ask the same questions of Jesus’
earthly ministry and easily find the answers. Of course we know that
Jesus’ primary mission was to pay the price of our sins on Calvary.
But inseparable from that mission was the need for His earthly work to
continue so He established the church. It’s interesting that Jesus
chose some of the most unlikely candidates to be his disciples. Once
they were chosen, He dedicated the rest of His earthly life to
teaching them, training them, and helping them to mature. Only then
did He command them to go into the world and make disciples of all
men.

The rebuilding of the church of today needs to begin with a renewed
commitment to the Great Commission. The main purpose of the church is
to win a lost and dying world to Jesus Christ. Therefore, every
ministry, every activity, every expenditure of the church must have
this purpose as its ultimate goal.

Five elements of church activity are listed in this chapter:
discipleship, community, worship, ministry, and evangelism. Any church
you ask would probably agree that these five elements are instrumental
to its livelihood. My question is, are these elements being carried
out in light of our ultimate goal?

Discipleship = Too often it is the practice of a church to win someone
to Christ and then leave them to fend for themselves. This results in
one of two scenarios. Either the new convert becomes frustrated and
quits coming to church altogether or the convert begins to simply
mimic the actions of other church members. (which can be disastrous)
The church needs to rethink discipleship!! When a new convert comes
into the church a seasoned member should take that person under their
wing (like Paul did with Timothy) teach them the fundamentals of the
faith, encourage them to be active in the ministries of the church,
and help them to mature to the place where they can become a mentor to
someone else.

Community = Do churches today practice fellowship? Fellowship is more
than meeting on Sunday morning or having a special meal or event.
Fellowship implies a partnership in which a group of folks, who are
all working toward the same goal, work together as a team to insure
that each member reaches that goal. Where true fellowship exists
members are aware of what’s going on in one another’s lives and are
there to support, encourage, and help one another along the way. Too
often today church members meet on Sunday morning then go their
separate ways until the next Sunday. They have no idea what’s going
on in the lives of their teammates and therefore offer no support,
encouragement or help. The church needs to rethink “community”!!

Worship = We need to rethink worship!! While emotions are an
essential part of worship, there is a thin line between true spiritual
worship and emotionalism. Emotionalism in and of itself, while it may
be entertaining to the congregation, has no spiritual or eternal
value. A good worship leader, or a pastor playing the role of
cheerleader, can easily inspire emotionalism. Pick the right songs,
say the right words, and people will become emotional. True worship
comes from an inward knowledge of who God is and what God has done.
This knowledge evolves from a daily personal relationship with God.
As we become more aware of who God is and experience His activity in a
personal way, our hearts will be filled with thanksgiving and praise.
As our heart fills with gratitude and appreciation our emotions kick
in and the “overflow” is the worship which God desires. If we ignore
God all week it is highly unlikely that we will be in a spirit of
worship on Sunday morning. However, if we spend time with God each
day, thanking Him for His blessings, and acknowledging His activity in
our lives, then we will have something to celebrate on Sunday. The
church has developed a mindset that Sunday morning church is when we
“serve” God when in reality Sunday church should be a time of
celebration.

Ministry = Jesus’ teachings, as well as His example, clearly show that
we are to minister to anyone in need. The church simply needs to
follow Jesus’ example. Too often we fail to reach out to those in
need because of their race, economic position, or religious beliefs.
Our mandate is to take advantage of every opportunity to minister. But
it’s not enough to simply feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Our
ultimate goal in ministry has to be to lead the lost to salvation.

Evangelism = Talk about “soul-winning” or “evangelism” in the average
church and those in the pews tend to crawl under their seats and hide.
Very few are actively involved. I believe that this stems from a lack
of training and discipleship. I have heard a lot of sermons on soul-
winning, some of them even laying a guilt-trip on those who are not
winning souls. I have seen a lot of “programs” put in place to reach
the lost. What I have NOT often seen is practical instruction provided
on HOW to win the lost. I am convinced that a lot of folks have a true
concern for those who are lost but they have no idea how to share
their faith. The church needs to rethink evangelism!!

Also, concerning evangelism, I believe that every function and every
activity of the church should be geared toward evangelism. We need to
“rethink” our dinners, socials, and events so that they become all-
inclusive rather than exclusive. Lost friends and neighbors will more
readily accept an invitation to a dinner, luncheon, or Christmas play
than an invitation to a regular church service. Once there God can use
the love, companionship, and nurture of Christians to soften their
heart and prepare them to receive the Gospel.