Magyar Egyház, 1973 (52. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1973-06-01 / 6-7. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 11 MAGYAR CHURCH WHY CHURCHES DIE Why Churches Die is the provocative title of a book by Hollis L. Green. It deals with a tragic fact of religious life: churches do die! It further offers biblically based suggestions that offer hope to the many congregations that are faced by the inevitable fact of extinction. Mr. Green sees the New Testament church as the ideal. Its primary emphasis was placed on evangelism, not the high-powered mass appeals of our day but rather the personal witness of individual believers. The early Christian communities were forced, by Saul’s attacks, to disperse and concentrate on their main purpose, bringing others to the saving grace of God through Lord Jesus Christ. The secret of the early church was not so much its apprehension of the truth as its willingness to witness to it. The spread of this new religious movement throughout the Mediterranean world was not due to the labors of a staff of carefully trained evangelists as much as to the willingness of everyday believers to share their faith. The modern church is faced by a situation marked by general apathy. People, in general, are unwilling to make waves. They hold that the church must be concerned with its own well-being, in a word, its survival. But mere survival is never enough. Unless each individual is won to an awareness of his personal ‘responsibility to the cause, it is inevitable that a long period of decay will set in. This is invariably followed by institutional rigidity and finally death. How can this apparently inevitable fate be avoided? First, by placing the emphasis on New Testament preaching! The proclamation of the Gospel is more than offering lessons on successful living. It is the presentation of the soul-saving truths of the Son of God. It is the call for repentance and conversion. Preaching is deadly serious business, it demands God-intoxicated preachers and humble hearers. The second emphasis must be on the priesthood of all believers. Each individual Christian must be an active promoter of the cause of Christ. The workshop and the office must be seen as areas in which the Good News must be proclaimed. This would call for a radical rethinking of the role of the laity. No longer is the paid clergyman the church’s witness, each and every individual Christian must accept the responsibility for preaching the Gospel. The third emphasis must be the willingness by all concerned to meet the needs of the day with tin methods of the day. As a community the congregation must become involved with all of life. Its concerns must reach beyond the local sanctuary, its challenges must be from the brawling outside world. Only then can all men become aware of the fact that our Gospel is the answer to life’s greatest needs and problems. Why Churches Die is an eye opener. It is a reminder of the fact that local congregations die only when they lose sight of their ultimate purpose and mission. At a time of religious indifference, it is good to see one man’s view of the Church as a vital body that renews itself constantly through the power of God’s Holy Spirit and man’s efforts. Rev. Charles A. Darocy Confirmation Class of 1973. Allen Park Michigan.
