Why Churches Die

Diagnosing Lethal Poisons in the Body of Christ

Mac Brunson, Ergun Caner

• Publisher: B&H Books
• Year: 2005
• Print ISBN: 9780805431810
• eBook ISBN: 9781433674853
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

We are all too aware of the damage poisons can have on our bodies. These ailments find their way into us, invading us, infecting us, and spreading throughout us until the illness is felt all over. There are spiritual poisons that work this way as well, except these ailments invade another kind of body-the spiritual body of Christ. Like the diseases of our physical bodies, these diseases slow the body down, crippling it to function at less than capacity. They limit what the body can do and the effectiveness it can have. If not treated, these diseases can lead to death.Why Churches Die looks at the body's diseases and reflects on the corresponding spiritual ailment. Mac Brunson and Ergun Caner practice the science of spiritual forensics to prevent churches from unnecessary illness and premature death.

Chapter 1

Toxins and Terminal Diseases in the Body of Christ

Extending the Right Fist of Fellowship
1 Corinthians 3:1—4

Have you ever stood in a church parking lot and listened to a story that ended with one of these sentences?

“That church split over the color of the carpet!”

“She walked right up to the pulpit and slapped the pastor!”

“The deacons' meeting ended in an actual fist fight!”

Disturbing, isn't it? Local churches all over the world split so often that it is almost an assumed end. Pastors are fired, members storm off, staff members take a group from one church to start another just down the road. Business meetings become Christian versions of Thunderdome. Yelling, fighting, screaming. Taking sides against fellow believers. Doubting one another's salvation. Power plays, deception, and alliances that would rival any Survivor episode.

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, “How in the world did we get here? Is this what church is supposed to be like?”

Have you ever wondered why members of the church of the living God sometimes act like nonbelievers?

Have you ever thought that church might be fun and fulfilling, were it not for the people inside the building?

Have you ever been so outraged by actions in the church that you swore off church completely?

Have you ever felt that going to church was a waste of your time?

Have you ever wondered why God would even save some of these folk, much less use them in leadership in a local church?

Well, so have we.

You read correctly. Two men, with a combined fifty years of pastoral experience, have been frustrated often by the churches we were called to serve. In truth, so are most pastors. When we gather in conventions and meetings, ministers often speak in hushed tones and whispers, relaying stories of horrific business meetings, contentious committees, and brutal fellowships. And dear reader, if we were to be painfully honest, so can we all.

Virtually every Christian, active in a local assembly, can share stories that defy the imagination. Church is not supposed to be this way.

Church: The Way Things Ought to Be

The biblical description of the church does not include any of the wars, fights, and furies. In the seventy-seven references to “church” in the Bible, we find an empowered people of God, left as ambassadors to the world and family to one another. In the days following Pentecost, the unity that exemplified the newly formed body of believers would cause many present-day churches shame in comparison. Notice Luke's description in Acts 2:42-47:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers. Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and had everything in common. So they sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. And every day they devoted themselves [to meeting] together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added those who were being saved to them.

Examine the descriptive titles for the church. God's ownership of the church certainly bespeaks our stewardship. The church is called:

• holy (1 Cor. 1:2),
• the body of Christ (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:12, 27; Eph. 3:6; 4:12; 5:23; Col. 3:15),
• God's household (1 Tim. 3:15),
• the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15),
• church of the living God (1 Tim. 3:15), and
• church of the firstborn (Heb. 12:23).

Furthermore, Christ's relationship to his church is remarkable. He did not leave us without instruction or provision. From Peter's confession at Cesarea Philippi until now, Christ's position is seminal. To the church, Christ is called the head of the church (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23) and the head of the body (Col. 1:18). He builds the church upon the rock of our confession (Matt. 16:15—18), and cares for the church (Eph. 5:29). Paul is emphatic — Christ's love for his body is so profound that he gave himself for it (Eph. 5:25).

In the book of Acts, and in fact the entire embryonic days of the church, local fellowships were warm and inviting families, often given to extraordinary acts of generosity and love.

• The churches at Macedonia and Achaia helped Paul when he was in need (Rom. 15:26; 2 Cor. 11:9).
• The church at Thessolonica served as a “model to all believers” and had been taught by God to love one another (1 Thess. 1:7; 4:10).
• The church at Philippi shared sacrificially with Paul when he lacked financial ability (Phil. 4:14—16).
• The church at Berea was known throughout the region for studying the Scriptures intently every day (Acts 17:10-12).
• The Lord did not have a word of rebuke against the church at Smyrna in John's seven admonitions. Of the seven churches listed in Revelation 2—3, Smyrna alone was described in a wholly positive light, and is even called “rich” (Rev. 2:8-11).

Though none of these churches were perfect, they were identified as local fellowships that did share a common bond and love. Do all churches measure up to that standard?

Tragically, no.

The Games Christians Play: The Church Search

Follow the journey of a young Christian couple, moving to a new town.

The husband and wife, having started a new job, have moved to a new town where they do not know anyone. Having been active in their church back home, they hope to find a church in their new town that has the same spirit and level of commitment. Without any leads, however, they must embark on one of the more prevalent games in our culture: the church search.

Over the course of months, they set out to visit a number of churches, hoping to find one to which they feel called and in which they will serve. The rules of this unspoken game are simple—make no promises, keep an open mind, observe everything, and “we will talk about it when we get back in the car.” Do you recognize this game? You have probably played it, and did not even know it.

The first Sunday they walk into a magnificent structure. The church rises from the street with gothic wings and steeples. It is beautiful and breathtaking. The husband immediately notices that the grounds are immaculately manicured and well kept. Surely this is a good sign.

As they enter the church, the sounds of the organ rise to a crescendo. The wife loves this type of worship, so she smiles to herself. The husband is greeted in the foyer by an elderly gentleman who hands them a bulletin, printed with a beautiful sketch of the church on the front. The wife takes the two children by the hand and walks toward a greeter, hoping to check the children into the nursery. “Nursery?” the greeter wonders out loud. “We don't have a nursery,” he says matter-of-factly. “A few years ago we had a day care center, but everything went wrong, and the deacons shut it down. We don't even use it anymore. It was too much trouble and too much expense.”

Strike one.

The second church they visited was as friendly a place as the couple had ever seen. The nursery was alive with children and well lighted, with colorful paintings of Noah's ark and animals on the walls. The Sunday school class for the adults had doughnuts and coffee in the central room, and then the individual classes broke up into sections. The various class members joked and laughed easily and bespoke a warm friendship among the members. The teacher was personable and kind and had obviously studied the lesson. By the time the young couple walked upstairs to the auditorium for the worship service, they were both smiling and nodding in agreement. Perhaps they had found their church.

As the worship began, the music was profoundly moving. The instruments all worked together to provide a beautiful melody, and the words appeared on the screen above the platform. The wife was almost moved to tears even before the singing had begun. There was only one problem. The young couple had apparently been seated in the “loud and stubborn complainers' section.”

As the praise team led the congregation in worship, the only thing louder than the singers was the chorus of complainers that surrounded the young couple.

“I can't stand this new stuff—it's just noise!” said one woman.

“He keeps calling it blended, but how do you blend good music with trash?” asked another.

“When was the last time we even used the hymnal?” queried a man in their pew.

For the young couple, it was clear. A split fellowship.

Complainers.

Strike two.

The young couple decided to visit a smaller church the next week. Surely in a smaller church there will not be all this fighting and contention, they thought. As they parked on the gravel next to the country church, the husband smiled and spoke to his wife: “This reminds me of the church I grew up in.” It was bringing back fond memories.

The nursery was smaller, for sure, but the woman who greeted the couple was cheerful and welcoming. The children seemed happy to play with her, and the couple walked down the hallway to the fellowship hall for their class. The teacher was plain-spoken, and wisdom seemed to emanate from him. The lesson was wonderful and meaningful to the couple, and they were welcomed by a half dozen people with a hearty handshake. As they climbed the stairs to the sanctuary, the husband and wife were greeted at the top by a gentleman with a bulletin. Inside the bulletin was a litany of prayer requests, announcements, and the offering, listed on the bottom right hand side.

The songs and singing reminded them both of services gone by, and they thoroughly enjoyed the service. The preaching was fervent, and the invitation saw a couple of people joined at the altar in prayer. Was this too good to be true? the couple thought as the service concluded.

Then a deacon rose to the pulpit and announced the monthly business meeting was in order. As the financial spreadsheets were passed out, the deacon/moderator quickly covered old minutes and old business in short fashion. Everything seemed to be perfunctory, until new business was introduced. Then an argument broke out over a line item for the mowing of the churchyard. One man wanted his son to mow the lawn and asked for the present worker to be fired. The discussion became heated quickly, and any warmth in the fellowship quickly dissipated.

Strike three.

Unfortunately, modern Christianity is marked by divided fellowships and uneasy truces. Many churches carry on as if the body of Christ was supposed to argue, fuss, and fight. Since churches have been arguing and splitting since time immemorial, why should we be any different?

Why indeed?

Spiritual Forensics: Symptoms and Diseases

If so many local churches die, and even more are paralyzed or terminally ill, can nothing be done? Perhaps it is possible to perform a spiritual autopsy to examine the root causes for their untimely deaths.

Why have so many churches experienced so many problems?

Why do Christians, many of whom have been raised and trained in godly churches and under biblical preaching, end up acting like pagans—in the church?

How can churches that normally act in a godly manner all of a sudden break out into a festering fellowship of fighting, bickering, and splits?

Why is it almost normative to see backbiting and gossip in every church?

Because the majority of churches and the majority of Christians are infected with a disease, and they have gone untreated for too long. These diseases and pathologies are not physical. In fact, in many ways they are far more noxious than physical diseases. They are spiritual diseases — spiritual diseases in the body of Christ.

A spiritual disease or pathology is often undetectable, except for the telling symptoms. Christians often can be infected with this disease and show very few symptoms. These people are carriers. Like Typhoid Mary, the carrier of a spiritual disease spreads his contagion to virtually everyone whom they touch. In the church this person is the instigator. In every church they serve, fights break out, fellowships are destroyed, and the carrier walks away like an innocent victim, acting as if he had nothing to do with the battle....

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Full Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10
• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12
• Chapter 13
• Chapter Study Questions