A serious disease is afflicting churches everywhere today. It’s called nominal Christianity, more accurately described as Christians who are in name only.
While thousands of attendees are regularly keeping the Sabbath, why are so many devoid of a proper spiritual life?
Southern California Pastors Steve Gladen and Todd Olthoff tackled the issues plaguing many churches today, and offered their solution towards maintaining a healthy church filled with healthy believers in the context of small group ministry.
“If you look at people in general, they’re either moving forward or moving back. There’s no middle ground,” said Gladen, pastor of Small Groups at Saddleback Church, to The Christian Post. “Unless [churches] have a plan to keep moving people forward, then they’re always going to be retreating.”
According to Gladen, people need a vision when it comes to spiritual health. They need a target to shoot at and need to know where they are going and where you are taking them in order to grow.
“Unless they know what they’re going after, they’re never going to get to the intended destination,” he expressed.
Many times, churches and leaders tend to give their members tools without giving them the bigger picture or tactical ways to take the steps necessary to become healthier.
Only when people know what they’re after will they begin to walk in that direction. And it’s got to start from the top, shared Gladen.
“If the lead pastor is not pressing it in his or her own life first, then it’s going to have a trickle down effect. Part of leadership’s responsibility is to say what is the end in mind?”
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