Christian Cannibals

BusinessWeek's cover story says Wal-Mart isn't doing so well. They're still growing, but not nearly like they were in earlier years. One reason: they've built so many stores that people are switching from one store to a newer one closer to them. New stores are cannibalizing existing stores.

Kinda like churches, I suppose.

Most church plants start with the intention of reaching the unreached. But too often, they morph into "just another church." I've feared that about my own church. I think we're reaching a lot of what my pastor calls "dechurched" people--folks with a church background, but who stopped attending for some reason. Are we touching, in any way, the never-churched who live around us? I don't know. We continue attracting new people, and even this Sunday, I could look out on the congregation and see plenty of people whose stories I didn't know.

Who is going after the hardcore pagans? The seriously lost non-Christians? I'm not sure I can name you a church in Fort Wayne that is doing that. Not that I'm an expert on Fort Wayne's churches. But if such a church existed, I think I would probably know about it.

I live in Aboite, the affluent southwest side of Fort Wayne. We have two megachurches in Aboite--Emmanuel and The Chapel. I suspect that whenever a new church starts in Aboite, that they draw at least a few people away from Emmanuel and The Chapel. Every new church needs a core group (I guess?), and you gotta get it from someplace. That's how Anchor started, with a core group from Emmanuel.

The Aboite churches can grow just from the continual influx of new people moving into the area. Are any growing primarily by reaching non-Christians? I don't know. The same thing can be asked of Anchor's community. We've developed a good relationship with four other churches in our zip code. Good churches with good people. But are any of us reaching the hard-core lost? Or do too many people in our zip code simply circulate, over the years, between the various churches? Just wondering.

Posted on April 23, 2007 01:20 PM|

Comments

Good thoughts. I don't consider any thurch to have grown if they are simply rearranging the Kingdom, often with the disgruntled of someone elses flock. The only true growth is when the K. isenlarged by people coming to Christ for salvation.

I believe Love Church is reaching the truly lost. Bible Baptist is the only other one I know that is doing quite alot of it.

Posted by: DWD | April 23, 2007 10:18 PM

Have you heard the story of the man who was stranded on an island? He built 3 huts. When he was rescued, he was asked what the huts were for.

He replied, "The first hut is where I live and the second hut is my church, it's where I worship God."

He was then asked what the third hut was for.
"Oh, that's the church I used to go to."

Posted by: Anonymous | April 25, 2007 10:36 AM

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