Why on Earth Are There Churches?: The Biblical Mission of the Local Church

After years of observation, I have concluded that so many local churches function without regard to their God-given, biblical mission and objectives because of their unclear mission, their unbiblical targets, or their unbalanced objectives.

The Lord God has already given His church a clearly defined mission for the present age. Yet so many local churches seem to function without understanding their biblical mission-their God-directed reason for existence-while other local churches and their leaders have revised or even compromised their God-given mission, thinking that they know better than God.

Some churches disband Sunday school, dismantle the choir, and disassemble pews only to replace them with other programs and ideas that will become traditional soon enough. Traditions, customs, and worship styles vary from culture to culture and from generation to generation.

I've been in the gospel ministry long enough to have seen the pendulum swing back and forth a time or two. So many ministries, programs, concepts, and styles are not new, but just repackaged. Today's "new," "fresh," "blended" methods will become "traditional" to the next generation after a short period of time.

Too often we are more involved in following the latest fad than we are in striving to "do all to the glory of God." What really matters is whether you have presented a true and accurate opinion and view of the nature and character of God so that others will praise and exalt Him to His worthy place of honor, esteem, and excellence.