Theology is important in a church. And sometimes when churches aren’t growing, there can be a temptation to be lighter on theology in exchange for relevancy or growth. Today we discuss why that’s a terrible idea.
Today’s Listener Question:
FROM JESSE
Many churches that are declining have theological issues (problems with liberalism etc). How do you work through these issues in a church replanting/revitalization situation? Is there anything unique about this? Is there a point when the church is theologically too far gone?
Episode Highlights:
- “When pastoring, start with the Bible and stay with the Bible.”
- When you start compromising on small theological issues, you’ll eventually start compromising on big theological issues.
- “One of the wonderful things about teaching through books of the Bible is it forces you to preach hard passages as well as easy ones.”
- Doctrine should be held mentally and lived out physically.
- The goal of church discipline is restoration, not removal.
The seven ways you deal with theological issues in a revitalization are:
- Hold to biblical truth
- Demonstrate grace
- Understand “contextual slippage”
- Teach and preach deep truths
- Demonstrate the consequences of slippage
- Deal with persistent heresy
- Don’t sacrifice truth on the altar of relevancy
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
- ChurchReplanters.com
- ChurchAnswers.com
- Replanter Assessment
- Find more resources at the Revitalize & Replant page at ThomRainer.com
Submit Your Question:
Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church and Reclaiming Glory.
