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3 Ways to Make the Church More

Effective

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it
gives light to everyone in the house. Matthew 5:15
To be a Christian means to stand in witness for Christ. All of us, no matter our
background, are called to share the Good News with the people of our world ( Mark
16:15). Its a huge responsibility, a great honor, and a noble calling. Unfortunately,
Christians arent always skillful when it comes to sharing the gospel. With all the
changes taking place in modern society, many believers are questioning the
Churchs effectiveness in leading others to Christ.
Ed Stetzer is one such Christian. In a recent column for Christianity Today,
Stetzer proposed that churches needed to change their methods if they wanted to
continue reaching communities. As an example, he pointed to the use of pathways,

Pathways transitions people away from apathy into groups where theyll provoke one
another to love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24). We need to help people live as agents
of Gods mission. Sometimes you have to stop doing good things to do the best
things. Thats always a hard call, especially for churches. Churches that refuse to
budge on inerrancy of Scripture should be commended. Churches that confuse
inerrancy with methodology should be corrected.
That tendency can be applied to aspects of ministry that have outlived their
usefulness. We need clearer systems and processes that lead people from passivity
to activity in involvement in the mission of God and serving one another.
Whitney Hopler, another voice on Christian transformation, takes a more
introspective approach. She advises Christians to change their attitude on worship,
which she believes has grown stale over the years. She writes,

Receive the Gift of Worship Gratefully


Since its only through Gods love and power that you and the others in your church
can offer yourselves as living sacrifices to God through worship and experience the
profound blessings of encountering God through worship, be thankful. Keep in mind
that gratitude is the foundation of worship as a church community.
Finally, Nick Hall, the founder of PULSE and author of Reset, believes we all need to
be more like Jesus. Too often the gospel becomes entangled in politics, social
issues, or personal egos. Jesus, on the other hand, was concerned about people,
and that meant stepping into lifes messes. In a section of Reset he states,
Put Others above Yourself
If we spend time with Jesus, then we will naturally be driven to do the things that
Jesus did. In other words, if you tell me youre hanging out with Jesus every day and
yet there is no desire in your life to share your faith, or love those he gave his life
for, then we should probably dig a little deeper to find out what version of Jesus we
are talking about.
The gospel message will never change, but as Ed Stetzer suggested earlier, perhaps
its methods should. We live in a culture which views the Church with increasing fear
and suspicion, and the old systems of ministry are no longer working. If we continue
to hold on to bad strategies, the strength of evangelism will only weaken. Now is the
time to let our lights shine, so let us renew our efforts to share the Good News with
all people.

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