The Church On Earth: What's Wrong With The Church?

How many times have you listened to sermons, read articles, or read books which inevitably point to the "failings of the church?" It seems like a constant theme. The church isn't doing this, the church isn't doing that! The church is failing because of this; the church sucks because of that. Is the church of Christ on Earth really so flawed and terrible?

I don't think so. Now I've personally used my little megaphone to trash the church, and point to it's failings. It's an easy thing to do. But I've also tried to be intentional about indicating areas of growth, while including encouragement for change. Many times people trash the church without pointing to pathways of change and growth.

I'm a young minister in the field. And yes I certainly see the areas where the church falls short and misses people. But my goodness, I've seen so much good that the church does!

It seems like we only ever hear about the terrible failings of the church. People tear the church up and down for all it fails to do. But honestly, the people that are listening who are true followers of Christ don't need to be yelled at, they are already inexorably drawn to do the work of God. And the non-believers who may be hearing the message, the tares mixed with the wheat, aren't going to do anything differently anyway. So why trash the church constantly? The church does so much good in the world!

Right in my own community, here in upper Michigan, in Escanaba, there are dozens of churches. They serve the community in beautiful ways. And that work is hard. It isn't ever easy. I know that from experience. I went into ministry very fresh faced and bushy tailed.

Within the first year I became some might say slightly jaded, not in the failings of the church per se, but simply in the difficulty of the work. You move into a level of spiritual warfare where it feels as if you've gone from jogging a wind swept road to trudging through a swamp. I'm certain this battle and struggle is spiritual in nature. Another contributing factor is simply the nature of the constant, week in and week out lifestyle of ministry. It isn't easy. But of course it can be done. And you don't have to become jaded, you really don't. It takes determination, and donning a suit of spiritual armor, but it's quite reasonable to be temperate, yet full of zeal, cautious yet willing to call from the rooftops.

I've seen this kind of focused, loving service in my own area. One of the most beautiful things I've seen is when churches of different denominations work together. Many of the churches in my area banded together to provide a rotating homeless shelter for those with housing concerns during winter. It's a beautiful thing to see fifteen different churches, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Non-denominational, Apostolic, and all the rest working together to love those in need. Their story is never sung though. They never get mentioned in long winded sermons by those denouncing the failures of the church. Their achievements don't appear in secular newspapers.

On a national scale I think of ministries like Intervarsity and Cru. They operate on thousands of college campuses. They share the gospel with millions of students. I've personally encountered their ministry at a tiny college in Wausau called UWMC. They meet faithfully, speak about the truth, and sing songs of worship. It's beautiful.

I think of Compassion International, literally millions of starving children in 3rd world countries are served. I think of voice of the martyrs, serving the persecuted church. These ministries are generally well funded by people giving their own hard earned money. But their song is never sung, and all we hear about are the failures of the church. But in so many ways, the church rocks!

I think of the Salvation Army, the church organization I work for, operating thousands of homeless shelters, adult rehabs, and Croc centers. Not to mention all the tens of thousands of soup kitchens, meal programs, social services programs, evangelism events, church services, and conferences.

Recently in my area I made contact with the Gideons. Think of all the Gideons have accomplished! They've placed millions upon millions of Bibles in hotel rooms. In fact many a time during my wayward days I would pull that Bible out and read from it. Such a blessing, such unsung heroes.

I could go on and on, Converge International plants some of the best biblical churches I've ever seen, capable of leading young people to Christ in droves. Calvinist churches have a knack for reaching a wide audience via podcasts, books, and social media. Increasingly the Southern Baptist convention is doing great things to stand for truth in our culture in America.