Can the Church ever be the Church again? (Part 1)

I will be 59 years old 5 weeks after our General Assembly in July. I have served in just about every ministry position on the local level and even had a chance to do state work years ago, but turned it down. I have always felt that the church lives and breathes by what it does on the local level. Yet I have seen a change in the atmosphere regarding church in the past 25 years that really frightens me for the future should the Lord continue to withhold His return. I will try to address these things over the next few days, but here are some of my concerns:

(1) We have seen a total shift in people's faith in, attitude about, and allegiance to the church in general. The word "loyalty" doesn't mean much anymore.

(2) There is still a huge gap in doctrine and style between the traditional Pentecostals and the neo- pentecostal/charismatic groups that seem to be growing by leaps and bounds.

(3) Most evangelical churches have adopted our style of music and now even do it better than we have in the past, which has either eroded or enhanced pentecostal worship

(4) Worship is becoming an undiscovered country due to the diversity concerning worship that people have been taught through their years in various church organizations.

(5) Heritage and honor have been replaced with men's tradition and what's hot at the time.

(6) We kill our wounded more today and make light of the fallen, when we should be in the business of restoring them.

I am not only concerned about our denomination, but about the church in general. I've tried to be sensitive to the Lord in all areas of my ministry as a pastor and have even changed some things hopefully for the better. I have had some fellow ministers brand me as a heretic because I don't have Sunday night service every week and others because I have tried to help minister's that have fallen. I guess there are some things that will never change.

However, I have seen out and about 100's of young people that I served during youth camp as a State Youth Board member that are away from God and also out of church today. In fact, the numbers are staggering to me and this causes me great sorrow. I often ask myself, "Where did we mess up when it comes to this generation?"

Hang on with me the next few days. What I will write are my opinions and mine only. Some will agree and some disagree, but I got to get this out of my heart.

Just maybe somebody will read this, change their opinion, and join me in prayer for a return of our heritage in a generation that has become selfish and self-centered. If ever we need Jesus, we need Him today!