Characteristics of The Current (Traditional) Church
Spiritually absent
The vast majority of Christians do not attend a church on a regular basis (maybe Christmas and Easter), especially since COVID. (Now <50% in US)
Why?
A loss of trust and faith
Church is irrelevant
Church is boring
Don’t really need church
Doing OK by self
Don’t really need God – they are rich and wealthy
Many believe it is full of hypocrites, lies, and corruption
They have been hurt or wounded by the church
They are often ashamed or embarrassed by how the church is perceived by the world
Spiritual abuse abounds
Often preaching condemnation
It only wants their money
And today, more and more, it is mixing politics with faith
Unfortunately, the list goes on…
People are questioning everything about the church, including traditional morality, the core doctrines of Christian faith, and its spiritual leaders.
Churches may have regular salvations, but many of the newly saved do not continue with church.
Studies have shown that 95% of those who “make a decision for Christ” are not “added to the church” today and anywhere between 25-50% of churchgoers have not returned to church after the COVID pandemic.
Plus, children brought up in the church often stop going once they are free of parental mandate.
Again, why?
They have no purpose
They don’t really understand the Bible
They are not being taught, challenged, nor discipled
What is missing?
Teaching !
They are caught (saved), but not cleaned (discipled).
They are not taught and provided a strong foundation of Truth.
They fall through the cracks due to a lack of understanding what Christianity is really all about.
And quickly snatched away by the devil – enticed by the lusts of the world and doubting the Bible due to a lack of understanding God’s Word and spiritual warfare.
My people perish for lack of knowledge. Hos 4:6
THIS IS NOT WHAT MOST CHRISTIANS WANT!
Nominal Christians only (converts)
A large number of Christians who do attend church simply go out of obligation – just “playing the game” of going to church for the sake of “not giving up meeting together” (Heb 10:25) and/or to “please God”, usually with the hope of God blessing them.
Too often the church of today is a spectator activity – to be entertained and made to feel good by receiving a little nugget of truth and encouragement to help them deal with life.
Their lives are about their own business, rather than their Father’s business. (They leave God at church on Sunday and then go about their own lives).
Why?
Many today are followers of Christ, but not disciples.
Jesus is their Savior, but not necessarily their Lord.
They don’t know their purpose and calling.
Believing in Christ does not make one a disciple.
Multitudes followed Jesus, but were not His disciples.
This is NOT what most Christians want either – they want more than this!
Spiritually immature
A large majority of believers go to church:
- To obtain God’s blessings, benefits, and provisions (which are wonderful beyond measure!)
However, as spiritual babies they go to church to see what they can get – feed me.
When we are born-again, we are all spiritual babies, yet we are not to remain that way – we are to grow up into Christ to full spiritual maturity.
Become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Eph 4:13
The spiritually mature are focused on not what they can get for themselves, but what they can do for God.
Many Christians don’t really know or understand the Word – the Bible is too difficult.
They have only periodically attended a few Bible studies over their years.
They have never had the opportunity to attend an actual formal discipleship training program and neither have most ever been taught about obedience nor spiritual warfare.
They are spiritual babies easily deceived with false teachings (Heb 5:13).
Ignorant of the devil’s schemes (2 Cor 2:11), their life is easily tripped up by the devil
Infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming (Eph 4:14).
For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. 2Tim 4:3
My people perish for lack of knowledge (Hos 4:6)
The vast majority of Christians are hungry for spiritual maturity – they do not want to remain babies in Christ. They want to be fed more and grow more!
Spiritually unemployed
The vast majority of Christians that do attend church are spiritually unemployed –
- They are not functioning in their calling – studies show less than 5% know what their calling is
- They have nothing to do (a small percent volunteer on Sundays for children’s church, nursery, choir, usher, etc – commonly the 80:20 rule)
Church is simply a spectator sport they come and watch others “play the game”.
Most show up to church late or at the last minute, take a seat, often in the back, listen to the sermon, pay their “dues”, and immediately leave after the service.
Interaction with others is usually limited to only the greeters or a few friends or acquaintances.
They are not “in the game” – there is not really much for the majority to do!
- They have not been made into disciples.
- They don’t know their calling and purpose.
- They want purpose, but no one helps them and hence they lead lives of quiet desperation.
Pastors and other leaders commonly take on the entire responsibility of doing all the teaching on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Why?
They have not raised up a team of disciples to teach and train others – instead, most people remain “unemployed”.
Christians want MORE – they want to know their purpose, they want to know their calling – they want to live for God and serve Him. But how – what more can they do?
Spiritually impotent
Many, if not most, are:
- Converts, not disciples
- An audience, not an army
They have never been taught spiritual warfare. Many don’t even know what it is, nor do they believe in the devil.
They are spectators only, not trained, prepared, or equipped to fight their enemy.
Spiritual babies vs trained warriors – weak and not prepared for battle.
The Church (its people) is the #1 thing Satan wants to destroy!
The church today is analogous to colonists at the beginning of our country that have not yet even been formed into a militia, nor called and trained to fight.
Meanwhile, the devil is using 21st century warfare and weapons wreaking wholescale, worldwide destruction!
One of the worst things is to recruit someone into the Army of God, put a target on their back, and send them into battle without any training and not even telling them about the enemy – come to God, He will now bless you, and you will live happily ever after!
True Christians don’t want to remain babies, they want to be warriors for Christ – they want to be trained in God’s Word to walk and fight in the power of God!
Spiritually wounded
Church is more a hospital than a training camp – full of walking wounded.
People go to seek help emotionally and spiritually and be treated for life’s battles. (This is a good thing for new believers, but for many it is a continual life process)
Many others don’t go to church at all for healing because that is the source of their wounds, by friendly fire and spiritual abuse.
The Church needs to be a safe place – a team working together to learn to walk in victory – that is what most Christians want and need.
Spiritual disunity
Within a church –
- High attrition:
Many, if not most, churches experience a high rate of attrition, where people come and go and hop from church to church, endlessly trying to find a church that is suitable to them.
They are hungry and looking for something more! (Discipleship !)
- Church splits:
Unfortunately, splits happen quite often in many churches, for a multitude of reasons – all related to spiritual immaturity.
Some splits are small, others are devastating large where the majority of people end up leaving.
Churches fail and up to 1600 pastors a month leave the ministry.
A recent survey by Barna Group indicates a staggering 40% of pastors have considered quitting full-time ministry.
Many Christians are more skilled at fighting each other than the devil.
And more skilled at walking in judgment and disunity than love and unity.
Between churches –
- Most denominations are “homosectual” – where they only have relations with their own kind.
Within denominations –
- Bitter division over politics and social issues has recently entered the church en masse leading to even further disunity and strife.
- In fact, now even whole denominations are splitting over the LGBTQ issue.
The Church is hopelessly divided with very little, if any, unity.
Divided it falls and lacking in power to destroy the works of the devil.
This is NOT what God wants and Christians are tired of it!
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Cor 1:10
Spiritually malnourished and weak
Sunday mornings they are fed a little milk to last them the week.
Very few will seek a midweek snack at a midweek Bible study.
By this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!
For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. Heb 5:12-13
The vast majority of churches have no formal discipleship training in the Word of
God.
Once someone is saved, they are told to just read their Bible, and they are basically on their own to try and interpret the Bible by themselves – no formal Bible training to know and understand God’s Word.
Hence, the average Christian today is discipled more by the world (ie., secularism and Satan), than they are by their church.
They spend many more hours per week receiving “teachings about life” from TV, social media, political news shows, movies, friends, and family, than from the Word of God.
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. I Jn 2:15
The vast majority of Christians are HUNGRY! They want more of God’s Word so they will be strong in the Lord and trained to walk in victory in their lives!
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep”. Jn 21:17
Spiritually dead
The Holy Spirit is not recognized nor welcome in many traditional churches.
His Gifts of the Spirit have been declared dead and as a result the church is dead and often the Fruit of the Spirit is non-existent.
Traditionally, people are waiting on God to bring revival – but God is waiting on them!
In the meantime, churches are dying and closing as attendance continually declines.
Many Christians are left weak and feeling hopeless, like God has abandoned them. That is not God’s desire, nor dream!
WAIT…
This is a harsh critique !
Reality (truth/solid food) is often hard to swallow.
“Truth is a sword with a sharp blade”.
In Jesus’ letters to the seven churches in Revelation, in paraphrase, He said of each, I know your good works, but I have this against you. (Rev 2)
And Paul said, “Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! … But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil”. Heb 5:12 + 14
Before quitting the read, continue on to the Conclusion.
Table of Contents
| The Current (Traditional) Church | The End-Time (Transformed) Church |
|---|---|
| Characteristics (this page) | Characteristics |
| Read Next: The Result | The Result |
| The Reason | The Reason |
| The Effect | The Effect |
| The Future | The Future |
| Curriculum Content (Introduction and Sample) |