To reverse this trend, we need to retrain believers to engage appropriately with the world and people around them. This might require a combination of topical preaching, classes, training, and sharing stories. I’m not suggesting we reincorporate Evangelism Explosion (was that the term?). I am suggesting we not assume believers will figure this out. Allowing Christians to behave as they see fit is how we arrived at this place.
6. Avoid Hypocrisy at All Costs
As the Gallup research indicated, the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church severely eroded public trust in clergy and the church. The seemingly never-ending moral and ethical failures of church leadership continue to add to the problem.
We, as church leaders, need to get our act together. If you can’t, leave the role.
I understand that we are all human and prone to broken behavior—me included. Yet Jesus reserved his greatest criticism for the hypocrites. Why? Hypocrisy is a death knell for our witness. We are and should be held to a higher standard. We need to live up to the calling we’ve received. If we cannot, we shouldn’t wait to be caught to come clean.
7. Never Compete With Other Churches or Pastors
The enemy is clear, and it’s not the church down the street.
Perhaps one of Satan’s most significant victories in our current church culture is the creation of church competition. We have enough to fight against without fighting with each other.
The one prayer Jesus offered for us was for unity. When we eat each other alive, we cannot be unified.
8. Be FOR Things, not Against Things
My friend Jeff Henderson wrote an excellent book on this. His thesis is that, for too long, the church has been known for what we are against. It’s time that we’re known for what we are for.
He’s correct.
My childhood church denomination specialized in being against. We were against hundreds of places, groups, people, music styles, etc. I’m not suggesting there aren’t problems in our world, but we can all agree that solutions don’t arise through boycotts. Remember, our mission is to overpopulate heaven, not shut down companies we disagree with.
Similarly, we need to understand that accepting people doesn’t mean condoning behavior. Today’s church seems terrified of guilt by association. Funny enough, Jesus would never have left heaven had he felt the same! Associating with us was a pretty big change.
9. Remove Theological Arrogance
None of us have corned the market on theology and biblical interpretation. I’m not suggesting we avoid developing a theological perspective, but we should acknowledge it’s our informed opinion, not a definitive revelation.
Virtually every topic in Scripture is debatable. We know this because almost every subject is debated. Some elements of theology are core to Christianity, but that bucket is relatively small. Most of what we fight about is secondary or tertiary theology.
Pride is unlikable and untrustworthy. Worse, it’s sinful. We should work toward displaying a more humble perspective on our theological perspective.
Rome Wan’t Built in a Day…
It’s taken years of bad Christian behavior to become disliked and mistrusted. We cannot repair the damage easily or quickly. But we’ve got to start. Without a concerted effort, the trends will only continue their downward trajectory.
So, let’s commit to starting in our own lives first. Expand the work to our church. And maybe eventually, and collectively, we’ll see a change in attitudes towards churches, pastors, and Christians.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
