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Obstacles churches face in accomplishing their mission

Obstacles churches face in accomplishing their mission. Howard Culbertson Southern Nazarene University. Obstacle #1. Inherited religious forms may obscure biblical spirituality Gospel is communicated ineffectively Caveat: There is a good side to “tradition” . Obstacle #2.

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Obstacles churches face in accomplishing their mission

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  1. Obstacles churches face in accomplishing their mission Howard Culbertson Southern Nazarene University

  2. Obstacle #1 • Inherited religious forms may obscure biblical spirituality • Gospel is communicated ineffectively • Caveat: There is a good side to “tradition”

  3. Obstacle #2 • Legalistic and moralistic distortions go uncorrected • Message and practices send wrong meanings • Church participation becomes a painful, mechanical pilgrimage

  4. Obstacle #3 • Wrong questions are being asked • “What does the church need to do for me and my family?” rather than “What does God require of our community of faith?” • “What will makeour church grow?” rather than “What is keeping our church from growing?”

  5. Obstacle #4 • Failure to deal with nominalism • Too many “Christians” in name only • Norm today: church membership is double attendance • Lyle Pointer estimates only 20% of church members are “Biblical Christians”

  6. Obstacle #5 • Too many church members are pew-sitting consumers • Up to 80% of some congregations are simply consumers • Results: • Entertainment focus and ratings game • Insufficient ministry leadership • The Reformation theme of the “priesthood of all believers” remains an ideal rather than a reality

  7. Remember . . . If a basketball team is awful, it doesn't mean that the game itself is bad. It doesn’t mean that there isn't a team somewhere who plays the game the way it should be played.

  8. Obstacles churches face in accomplishing their mission Let’s bulldoze them out of the way

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