Reformation Theses for the American Church

A recent Barna article gives some stats on the state of the church in the US.  Seventy-three percent of Americans call themselves Christians, but the number drops to 7% when those same individuals are asked about some very basic tenets of the Christian faith.  This 7% are considered Bible-believing Christians who actively participate in and promote their faith in Christ.

Only 7% of those claiming to be Christians actively participate in and promote their faith in Christ.

These statistics show the Church in the US has fallen short of who she is called to be and what she is to be accomplishing.

Over the last few years, the Lord began showing me some areas in the Church that must be reformed in order for the American Church to truly be the Church that God wants her to be.

I believe these are eight key areas for the Church to reform if she is to be healthy and successful:

1. The Church has lost her structure.  Therefore, she is an Anarchist Church.
   • The Church must get back to the structure put into place by the Lord and the early Church (apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers).
   • These structural gifts need to begin working together in synergy for the maturity of the Body.
2. The Church lost her biblical foundations.  Therefore, she is an Apostate Church.
   • The Bible must be the foundational document for the Church.
   • Unbiblical beliefs, such as defeatism and anti-supernaturalism, that have crept into the Church, must go.
3. The Church has lost her reverence.  Therefore, she is an Idolatrous Church.
   • The Church must keep God’s holiness in its proper perspective.
   • The Fear of the Lord is the gateway to the full anointing of the Holy Spirit.
4. The Church has lost her passion.   Therefore, she is an Apathetic Church.
   • We are in a war, and the only way to win is to fully engage.
   • We are called to be fully committed–to take up our cross daily.
5. The Church has lost her mission.  Therefore, she is an Aimless Church.
   • In order to make disciples, we must first be a disciple.
   • Our mission is to raise up others to look just like Jesus:  one person at a time, one family at a time, one city at a time, one state at a time, one nation at a time.
6. The Church has lost her power.   Therefore, she is an Impotent Church.
   • The Church must realize the power and authority given to us in the Holy Spirit.
   • 1 John 3:8 says, “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”  It takes His power to accomplish His purpose, and we must begin to fully use it in order to fulfill His mission.
7. The Church has lost her morality.   Therefore, she is an Adulteress Church.
   • Though we are not saved by works, we will show our love for our Master/Lord/Husband by our devotion to Him.
   • To put anything above Him is to break the marriage covenant we entered into through the blood of Christ.
8. The Church has lost her saltiness.   Therefore, she is a Worthless Church.
   • We have lost our influence over the world.  Rather, the Church has been influenced by the world.
   • We must realize that our citizenship is in a different Kingdom; and the laws of that Kingdom are higher and greater than the laws of this world.  Through all these reforms, we must invite people into the Kingdom life; and, we must provoke them to jealousy of the life, love, and blessings that we experience as Kingdom kids, priests, and ambassadors.