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Obstacles churches face in accomplishing their mission

Explore the challenges faced by churches in fulfilling their mission, such as inherited religious forms, ineffective communication of the Gospel, legalistic distortions, and more. Discover how these obstacles can hinder church growth and participation. Learn how to overcome these barriers to achieve a thriving and impactful community of faith.

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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 www.turnbacktogod.com

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

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

  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?” www.turnbacktogod.com

  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” www.turnbacktogod.com

  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 www.turnbacktogod.com

  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. www.turnbacktogod.com

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

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