10 Warning Signs Your Church Is Becoming Irrelevant

1) Everyone looks, acts, talks and behaves the same.The most frequent metaphor for the church in the New Testament is the human body, composed of vastly different parts, all working in harmony (1 Cor 12:14-31). It is clear from Scripture and the witness of creation that God values rich diversity; not clones. If your church does not have diversity, it is not healthy. It also almost surely lacks the power inherent in diversity.

2) The median age is well over 35.The most recent census statistics place the median age of the U.S. population at 35.3 years. If your church has a significantly higher median age, it does not fairly represent a cross section of the culture in which it is immersed. A greying church is a dying church.

3) The church rarely gathers together any place off-site. Many mega-churches exude a fortress mentality with a spectacular campus that affords every possible need, desire and opportunity. A church that rarely/never meets out among the culture is not a living witness amidst the culture. It has become a monastery.

4) The church is not continually and actively involved in new church plants. The church in Antioch sent two of its most gifted members out to plant new churches (Acts 13:1-3). A church that does not actively sow seed in new church plants is like the Dead Sea – water comes in with no outlet. Consequently, the water (i.e., church) becomes stagnant and everything begins to die.

5) The church leadership has few unbelievers as genuine friends in their personal lives.
Jesus was the friend of sinners, so much so that He was accused of being a sinner like them (Luke 7:34). A church leadership with no time to befriend unbelievers in their personal lives is not living out the gospel.

6) The church exudes an “us-against-them” mentality. The church is called to be a witness in the culture in which we find ourselves immersed. Jesus effectively identified with the culture in which He lived while being perfectly faithful to the Father. The “us-against-them” mentality that Jesus angrily sometimes displays in the gospels is primarily directed against the religious hypocrites of the day (Matt 6:5-6; 23:13-15; 23:23; 25-26; 27-28, etc.) The common folk could identify with Jesus while He threatened the religious hypocrites with His lifestyle evangelism.

7) The church does not actively seek the well being of the culture in which it is immersed.
James and John wrongly sought divine judgment on a Samaritan village (Luke 9:51-56) for which Jesus had to correct them. Those that truly love God will actively seek the well-being of the city where they live (Jer 29:4-7). A church that’s anxiously waiting for divine retribution is also figuratively going to hell-in-a-hand-basket.

8) People participate more out of obligation rather than genuine love. It’s possible to do good deeds with wrong motivation. Jesus first compliments the church in Ephesus on its good deeds, but then warns them that they have lost their first love (Rev 2:1-7) for which He shockingly threatens to remove their lampstand (i.e., their witness). A church where members have lost their love is a dying light.

9) Scripture is no longer the final authority. The battle cry of the Reformation was Sola Scriptura, meaning that Scripture alone is the final authority and rule for validation of truth. Scripture and the Scriptures alone are sufficient to function as the regula fide, the “rule of faith” for the Church (2 Tim 3:16-17). A church that looks elsewhere is a rudderless ship helplessly adrift with the winds of fickle change. Sooner or later it will shipwreck.

10) The central focus is something or someone other than Christ.Christ is the Head of the church (Eph 4:15-16). A church where Jesus is not actively at the center of everything, is a headless corpse.

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Replies to This Discussion

This is powerful! Thank you for sharing.
What a powerful and enlightening statement thank you Apostle !
Dr. Cynthia Davis,

Thank you so much.


Apostle Howard
Apostle this is what Kingdom Leadership is all about. You are imparting wisdom and it is up to us to take heed. This has been a blessing and I am going to make a copy and share as the Lord leads. To God Be The Glory!
God's Servant
Pastor Dr. Myra Pearson - Don't "Compromise to be Recognize!!
Say it loud and clear Apostle...that is what I love about you..there is no need to try to break it down...your message is always crystal clear,pointing to Jesus,the Cross,Disipleship ,Sanctification and backed up with the un fallable word of God!!
Those are all the Marks of any TRUE minister of God!!
And if someone reads this and these things apply to them...they are irrelevant and need to go back and do the first works over..amen??
Lord help us to never become so familiar with your spirit,that we become irrelevant..and worse than that..dont even know it??
Love you in Jesus
Laura
There is no better way of putting it. Thank you!
Amen, especially to number 6. We have 5 churches in every block of our communities and will not use God's anointing power to go out and set the captives free. We are becoming irrelevant to a lost world that needs what we have but will not give.

You are a very good teacher, Apostle!

I enjoyed this teaching. Many churches are doing, and moving without the Holy Spirit. 

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