The Death of the American Church

II Timothy 2:22-26
By Harold Dinsmore, M.Div.
© 2007 Harold Dinsmore

Thom S. Rainer wrote an article in for the Baptist Press in March of 2006 wherein he spoke about the American Church as dying.  I have a few quotes I would like to share with you from that article.  “The facts of a 2004 research project I led are sobering. It takes 86 church members in America one year to reach a person for Christ. Now, I realize that such statistical studies are imperfect, and I make no claims of omniscience, especially in matters such as the regenerate population. But if the research is even close to accurate, the reality is that the church is not reproducing herself. In just one or two generations, Christianity could be so marginalized that it will be deemed irrelevant by most observers.”  He goes on to cite 3 major things that are the heart of the dying church.....................................

In II Timothy 2:22-26, we read this: “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.  And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.  Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”