Church Reform - Getting Started

I think the majority of us would agree that the church in America (I can’t speak for the rest of the world) is in desperate need of reform in a variety of areas. The need for reform ranges from discipleship to doctrine, from evangelism to edification, from giving to growth, and the list goes on.

Some folks would question whether or not reform is even possible. I believe it is. For example, the church in Corinth in the first century was an absolute mess and in need of many changes. The Apostle Paul did not give up on them, but instead visited with and wrote to them in order to bring about reform.

In order for reform to occur today, we must have some sort of goal to move toward. Of course, that goal must be the bible (this point is so obvious that I’m not even going to argue for it). The church in America falls far short of biblical standards in many areas. If reform is to happen, the goal and purpose must be to move the church to be more like what we read about in the New Testament.

In the bible, we have commands about how we should live, what the church should be like and do, etc. We also have what is modeled for us by the church in the bible. Often what is modeled is not commanded, and that is where we, in America, have run into so many problems.

It is my belief that most churches today want to follow the commands of scripture, but have little intention of following much of what is modeled in the New Testament. Just as one example of this, almost all churches celebrate the Lord’s Supper. However, only a small percentage do this as part of a larger meal, which seems to be what the early church did.

It is my contention that in order for real reform to occur, churches today must strive to not only follow the commands of scripture, but also must model their actions after the church of the New Testament.

In the upcoming weeks, I plan to look at various aspects of church life in America. It is my desire to discuss with you what the problems are, what we see modeled in the New Testament, and how we can work together to bring about reform.

I realize that ultimately only God will reform his church. However, we also know that he is faithful to his word, and desires that his people live according to it. I strongly believe that when we strive to be the church that he shows us in the bible, this pleases him and spurs him to bring about change.