The Over-Activated Church
Nobody likes a sleepy church. Christ sharply condemned a church that was lukewarm. (Rev. 3:15, 16) Every church should utilize its time, its talents and even its property to the fullest extent in an active program of gospel work. Yet it is my firm belief that many, many churches are over-activated. In at least the following three areas, there is too much activity much of the time and in many places.
Preachers have entirely too many activities. Many good and capable men are now devoting almost all their time as "Youth Directors," "Educational Directors," "Family Counselors," "Marriage Counselors," etc. Even those who do not have such specific responsibilities are often required by a spoiled church to spend too much time in social calling upon the members, and upon entertaining. In Time magazine, April 7, 1961, in an article discussing "The Organization Church" we find the following significant declaration from a denominational preacher who sees the menace of present trends among preachers: "A drastic prescription for the organization church's organization minister is offered by Pastor: Floyd Doud Shafer of the Salem Presbyterian Church, in Salem, Ind., in last week's Christianity Today: 'Fling him into his office, tear the office sign off the door and nail on the sign: STUDY. Take him off the mailing list, lock him up with his books....and his typewriter and his Bible....Force him to be the one man in our surfeited communities who knows about God.... Set a time clock on him that will imprison him with thought and writing about God for 40 hours a week. Shut his garrulous mouth spouting 'remarks' and stop his tongue always tripping lightly over everything non-essential. Bend his knees in the lonesome alley, fire him from the P.T.A. and cancel his country club membership....Rip out his telephone, burn his ecclesiastical success sheets, refuse his glad hand, put water in the gas tank of his community buggy and compel him to be a minister of the Word'."
While visiting a certain church, one member complained to me that the local preacher had sometimes failed to visit this member's home for as long as three months! At another place the local preacher and his wife felt that they had to both go out every day, and usually twice a day, with their two babies, taking meals with the various members, though it was a terrific burden upon the wife. I have seen many church buildings which contained a room called "The Preacher's Study" but which served as a place where all the disgruntled, disturbed and dissenting members came to pour out their woes, but I have hardly seen even one building which contained a room called "The Elder's Room," where any and all members could go at certain times and expect to find their overseers ready to help them.
Many times the elders indirectly designate the preacher as the general superintendent over everything, and they expect him to do just as little actual preaching and teaching of the word as conscience will permit. We certainly need to release the preacher from such bondage and give him time to study, meditate and teach. We ought not to judge the work of a preacher by the number of hours he spends in his car, the number of miles he drives and the number of calls he makes, and we should determine his quality by his real knowledge of the word and by his use of it in his life and in preaching and teaching.
Over-Active Elders
Everywhere we see elders being involved in almost every kind of activity except that God-given work of feeding and overseeing the flock. They are Directors of homes, programs, and projects. They are overseers of missions and of missionaries. According to modern standards, the elders must be good business men and capable executives, but they may not know what to tell an erring child of God to do to be saved and the extent of their teaching is to read something from the eleventh chapter of First Corinthians at the Lord's table on Sunday morning. (Please do not infer that this is an accusation against all bishops in the Lord's church, for many are dedicated, godly and informed men and do their authorized work effectively; but this is intended as a criticism of trends and practices that are prevailing in many places.)
Over-Active Congregation
A look at many church bulletins will show that some churches are involved in all kinds of unauthorized projects while they do very little of that which is truly the duty of the church. Social halls are built and get more use than the auditorium. The stage is used more than the pulpit. There is more eating and drinking together than there is singing, praying and studying. Announce a party and 100 people will come, but announce a prayer meeting and perhaps ten will be present. Invite the people to come together to sing and there will be a good hand-full, but invite them to come for a picnic and it will be a house-full. Ask for a contribution for flowers, or for curtains for the nursery, or for pavement for the parking lot and the money will be abundant, but ask for money to send a preacher into the slums or across the tracks or to the other side of the world and somebody will surely say, "We just have all we can do to support the work at home." (Again, please do not construe this as a complaint regarding our own work here in Nigeria. Brethren everywhere have been so very, very liberal — yes conservative brethren are liberal!!! — and our every necessity has been provided and abundant gifts have come to help us do this gospel work. However, I have observed attitudes described above in many places and it is always shameful to see brethren show little interest in gospel work while they are so enthusiastic in other activities which are usually unauthorized to begin with.)
Today we need less activity and more religion; less worldliness and more godliness; less human wisdom and more of the "foolishness of God;" fewer suggestions and more complete subjectiveness. Let there be less human dignity in the pulpit and more of the Divine revelation. (1 Cor. 2:13; Gal. 1:8; 1 Pet. 3:15; 4:11) Let there be less human vanity in the pew and more virtue and true spiritual vitality (Rom. 12:1; 2 Pet. 1:5-10) We need to quit trying to "glorify the church" by making it subject to the desires and dreams of men, and determine to make the church subject to Christ in all things, remembering that he purchased it with his own blood so that he might "sanctify and cleanse it" and "present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Eph. 5:25-27)