The inherited church

http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=25558

Baptist Press] 10 June 2007--This got me to thinking about the church. "The church?" you say. Yes, the church, specifically, the "inherited church." It has long been observed that most of the fastest growing and most effective evangelistic churches in America are new churches. New Baptist churches (less than three years old) in Oklahoma, where I serve, averaged nearly 10 baptisms last year, while our older churches averaged about 8.5. And the largest church in Oklahoma (not a Baptist church) is only 10 years old. When you look at church life in America, most of the churches leading our nation in reaching the lost sheep are less than 30 years old. Certainly, we need to continue starting new churches.

But the majority of our churches are "inherited churches," churches founded and built by previous generations. We "inherited" these churches in that the buildings were largely built by previous generations, as were much of the ministries, organizations, and guidelines governing church polity. Even the framework for the budget may have been developed decades ago. And in many cases the lay leadership of the church hasn't changed significantly in 40 years. Let me quickly say, I love these churches. I have served as the pastor of three churches that were each about 100 years old. It has been my joy to see these churches experience renewed effectiveness in reaching the lost. But in the process I have learned a few things about the "inherited church."