Excuse me a moment for reminiscing.  I know people probably get tired of hearing me talk about the 1970’s but it really was a major turning point in the American culture and a big one for me as well.

The Jesus and Charismatic movements of the ‘70’s hit the church like a hurricane. Within a handful of years the American Church was rocked with new music, new ways to fellowship, fresh insights from the scriptures and all sorts of doctrinal controversies and challenges.  The young and the “hungry for God” refused to be satisfied with what the “satisfied” and the complacent were living in as far as spirituality goes.  Some believers were praying for revolution while others were committed to tradition.  The battle lines were drawn, fresh thinkers were pushed out and away by traditionalism and the independent church movement flourished.

Now, independent churches of both Charismatic and Evangelical flavors have become such a huge segment of North American Christianity that they rival the largest denominations in size and largely surpass them in result.  While the “experience” of God has been paramount in their ministry focus, the “teaching” of Scripture has been their strength as well as their chief method.

During the last three decades, there has been a huge resurgence of teaching. Teaching has re-emerged in traditional and classical denominations as well.  It had to happen if they were to stop the hemorrhaging of members to the new savvy independent churches.  Ah…the American way in action.  Free enterprise is awesome isn’t it?

All well and good, except with all of this ministry development…there was still one thing very wrong.  Consider the following stats.

Nearly 74% of all Americans have no meaningful church relationship.
One half of all churches in America did not add one member though conversion last year.
No county in America has a greater percentage of churched people than a decade ago.
80% of American churches are either stagnant or declining in membership.
15% are growing because of transfer growth.
Only 5% are growing because of conversion growth.
North America is the only continent in the world where Christianity is not growing.

What does all this mean?  While we’ve been teaching…not too many of us have been reaching!

While teaching is vitally important to maintaining orthodoxy and healthy Christian experience, reaching is essential to fulfilling the Great Commission.  Reaching is necessary for saving people from the eternal darkness of separation from God.  Reaching people is the heart of God.

God had one son and he made him a reacher as well as a teacher!  To follow him we must be reachers!  A local church should be committed to reaching the lost.  Its efforts should be prayerful, scriptural and creative…but most of all compassionate.

Let’s stop boasting about local church growth until we have national church growth.  Any “savvy” church can grow through transfers.  It takes “heart” to grow by conversions!  Let’s win souls!