Weak preaching and cultural adaptability are just two of many reasons Southern Baptists give to explain the decline of membership and baptisms.
“[T]he shallow state of preaching has exacerbated the lethargy of the church and left the lost with no real Word from God,” said Paige Patterson, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in a column in Baptist Press.
“The pastor ought to be the major source of theological understanding and the most able teacher of the Bible,” he added.
“Anemic pulpits create anemic churches and denominations.”
Since the release last month of the latest data on Southern Baptist membership and baptisms, both of which declined, Southern Baptists have speculated why the largest Protestant denomination in the country has been seeing lower numbers.
“Well, the time has come to identify the real problems,” said Patterson.
Many church leaders have been calling for change to respond to what many identify as a shift from modern to postmodern culture. And the latest statistics showing shrinking numbers has made that call even more urgent. But cultural relevance has led many churches to lose the holiness of God and a thirst to be like God, Patterson noted.
While acknowledging the theological dangers of adapting to culture, Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research and a Southern Baptist, believes that rather than some churches going too far, the bigger problem is that churches haven’t gone far enough.
“They’re still sitting back doing church from the ’50s,” he said.
Patterson, a prominent conservative Southern Baptist, said he is the first to admit that “dullness and ‘Baptist tradition’ were too often the rule in our churches.” But the suggestion that churches must chase after culture in order to be effective in evangelistic efforts is “misguided,” he said.
“The more attune to culture Southern Baptists have become and the more we have incorporated the world into our worship, the more our baptisms have dropped!” Patterson noted. “Although I am not certain that there is a connection, as will become evident in what follows, I admit that I am suspicious.”
Conservatives have not yet seen the revival that they hoped for following the “conservative resurgence” or what some opponents call “fundamentalist takeover” that began in the 1960s. But Patterson highlighted that they have not abandoned that hope and stressed the importance of not abandoning doctrine.
To be unapologetically Baptist – embracing the exclusivism of Christ in salvation, the inerrancy of God’s Word, and the concept of a regenerate church witnessed by baptism and disciplined to live for Christ – may come off as being “mean-spirited” to the world, especially when opposing abortion and the practice of homosexuality, and doctrinal clarity is not popular in the world, the conservative leader admitted. But when following Christ and the Bible, Baptists have no choice about what they endorse and what they reject, he said.
Among other major causes Patterson listed for the Southern Baptist Convention’s downturn are prayerlessness and a failure to share Christ individually on a consistent basis.
“The great need is for us to sense our spiritual poverty, seek God’s face, and do His bidding. Folks, it is really that simple,” he said.
Baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention fell for the third straight year in 2007 to the denomination’s lowest level since 1987, dropping nearly 5.5 percent to 345,941, according to LifeWay Christian Resources’ Annual Church Profile (ACP). Total membership also declined by 0.24 percent to 16,266,920.
Yeah, and where are the preachers that are down on their knees befor God, in prayer, and in the book of the Lord reading, and upon their beds meditating upon the word.
These are the preachers with Gods word, and empowered with his passions, and delivering messages that change lives, and not appologetic befor the world for everything they say. So afraid they might offend the world, with the message God has delivered in the Holy scriptures. Instead of being on their knees befor God, they are tuned into the instant point, click, and print pathetic sermons, that are so prevelant in our instant gratification system. They were never touched by the message, so how do they expect to deliver a message that touches anyone else. Movie stars, tv personalities, characters..with their own messages for their own profits..like how God is gonna grow your business, and how he will make you abundantly rich etc..But all that is expected nowadays, but rest assured God is preparing his soldiers for the battle to come, like Joshua growing up in the wilderness, and being prepared for his role to come. These soldiers for the Lord will step forward in the right time. Anyway I agree with the very sad and pathetic shape most pulpits and preaching is in right now. The offshoot of this instant society has developed a people of no patience. So with no patience, no bended knee, and a message that comes from who knows where, what do ya expect..Well thats exactly what most people who sit in pews are getting..and it is sad. have a nice day. I accidently ended up on your page, and after reading, I had to comment, hope I didnt take up to much space..thanks pw
I would say that 1 Corinithians has much to say regarding and Romans 12 also as to what is the source of theological understanding. He gave some Apostles, prophets, etc. It does not saY THAT the pastor is the major source of our theological understanding. That appears to be idoLATROUS and if you like to be a follower of the blind as the blind leaders of the blind, then its ur life.
This who Purpose Driven Church madness as steered pastors from the hearing from the Holy Spirit and instead they listen to what other PDC pastors have preached and regurgitate what they have spoken. There’s no holiness or desire for anointed preaching in that at all!
“In view of some of the activities of the contemporary church it’s an alarming apostasy. Because of the present conditions in the church (and in this message I will merely touch the fringe of them), it is an awful apostasy. For this reason I think we can accurately say that we are right now in an amazing and alarming and awful apostasy in the church.” J. Vernon McGee, The Amazing, Alarming, and Awful Apostasy (www.ttb.org).
When I had addressed my disagreement to a pastor being culturally relevant (PDC) and preaching sermons that would help people deal with real life issues, because he wanted to be like Joel Osteen rather than Jesus Christ, it just helped to confirm I needed to leave.
We are called to follow Christ and lead others into following Him also. We are not called to follow a man, but Christ alone.
Pastor Carter Conlon, senior pastor of Times Square Church has been preaching a series of sermons titled, The Corinthian Problem: The Roots and the Resolutions to Powerlessness in the Last Days’ Church.
http://www.tscnyc.org/sermon_series_The_Corinthian_Problem.php
His sermon from May 4th, When Carnal Men Claim the Throne, would particularly relate to this post –
May 4, 2008 – The voice of the Lord is coming to all the Jehoshaphats of this generation asking, “What are you doing helping those who exploit the poor, the widows and the fatherless?” God is beseeching them to ask Him for an eye salve anointing that they may see again and to ask for a purity of heart to look away from self and come back to the simplicity that is in Christ. False prophets are resisting Christ Himself for power, money and fame. Biblical prosperity is not given to bigger cars and houses. Biblical prosperity is to be poured out for lost humanity with the compassion and selflessness of Jesus Christ.
This whole Purpose Driven Church madness has steered pastors from the hearing from the Holy Spirit and instead they listen to what other PDC pastors have preached and regurgitate what they have spoken. There’s no holiness or desire for anointed preaching in that at all!
“In view of some of the activities of the contemporary church it’s an alarming apostasy. Because of the present conditions in the church (and in this message I will merely touch the fringe of them), it is an awful apostasy. For this reason I think we can accurately say that we are right now in an amazing and alarming and awful apostasy in the church.” J. Vernon McGee, The Amazing, Alarming, and Awful Apostasy (www.ttb.org).
When I had addressed my disagreement to a pastor being culturally relevant (PDC) and preaching sermons that would help people deal with real life issues, because he wanted to be like Joel Osteen rather than Jesus Christ, it just helped to confirm I needed to leave.
We are called to follow Christ and lead others into following Him also. We are not called to follow a man, but Christ alone.
..in Christ ALONE, I place my trust! In that place ONLY can we stand, otherwise, we would shrink at persecution!
I agree with Terry, and maybe that’s why no one has commented in a while, because it boils down to whether we are trusting in Christ Alone or in ourselves or someone else or some system or the world or our own mixture of trusting Christ plus something else.
So Terry you still get the final say cause you are right…in CHRIST ALONE…
Thanks,
Mark