Are Churches Irrelevant?

Why are young adults fleeing the churches? Why aren’t the spiritual leaders providing real answers to the serious questions people today face?

Have you noticed how churches today seem to be emptying? For example, one survey of 18- to 29-year-olds found 65 percent rarely or never attend worship services, including many of those who attended as teens.

Many people seem to be saying that the churches are not providing answers. There is too much of the same each time, and it all becomes just a ritual: Go to church, sing a hymn, stand during a prayer, listen to a few meaningless announcements, fill the collection plate, hear the sermon on some obscure subject, sing another hymn, stand for another prayer, go and have tea …

I wondered, why do ministers seem always to shy away from difficult subjects, like the book of Revelation with all its symbolism? Like, the end of the world—when is it coming and why? Like, what am I doing here?

Instead they regurgitated the same old stuff, and it almost put me to sleep. What was the point in coming? It was a waste of time!

A waste of time?

Can you hear yourself at all? I can certainly see myself reflected in these situations. In fact, after sitting down and analyzing my own feelings, several years ago I decided going to church was a waste of time. I went to church seeking answers, trying to understand what God wants me to do, not to have my back stroked each time with the assurance that I am saved because Jesus loves me. If that’s all there is to it, then I don’t need to go to church anymore, and neither do I have to worry about sinning in the future!

Is that the message churches are pouring out? Live for today, enjoy yourself to the hilt, even at the cost of others, because if you believe, you have been saved anyway?

Entertainment and counterfeits

So what are churches doing about this dramatic falloff in attendance? Well, some have decided that to bring the crowds in again and attract the younger people, we need to “jazz up” the program, give it some life, some zip! What about a band playing rock music? A screen to project the minister at all angles so that even people at the back can see the whites of his eyeballs?

And so the revival movement was born. Provide entertainment—that’s what people want! Give people a chance to stand, shout and wave their arms around.

You have no doubt heard of instances of churches where people worked themselves into an “altered state of consciousness” or became “drunk in the Spirit.” But this surely amounts to imitating the practices of pagan spirituality. Satan is a master counterfeiter (Revelation 12:9), masquerading as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). His ultimate deception is for people to encounter him but think they are in touch with the living God.

Real questions

So let’s quickly return to reality and reasonableness. To get people to start filling pews again, churches need to honestly try to provide true answers to the questions worrying people today. But ask your minister, “Is it necessary to obey the Ten Commandments now, if I have already accepted Jesus as my Savior?” and you may be shocked at the answer.

“What happens when I die?” I asked. “You either go to heaven or hell, depending on whether you have accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior” was the stock answer. But is it really as simple as that? Doesn’t repentance have something to do with it? (Consider what the Bible says in Mark 1:15 and Acts 2:38.)

I once asked a minister to imagine someone born in a remote area of Africa, who lived a good life but who never heard of Jesus Christ. “What happens when this person dies?” I asked. Without hesitation she replied, “Straight to hell.”

Would an almighty, loving, merciful God do that to His creation, without allowing the person any chance to understand what Jesus did to redeem him? There is something wrong here, I told myself. And eventually I found meaningful answers and a church that cares.

Where can you get answers?

Where then can you get answers to the important questions in life? A brilliant start would be to have a close look at the contents of this website. You will find pieces on many different aspects written by ministers and members with an amazing insight into these very questions.

If no one has written anything about your problem or question, send us your question using our Contact form. One of our dedicated ministers will make sure you receive a well-considered biblical answer.

Then download or read online our new booklet The Mystery of the Kingdom. It may be just the information you need to open your eyes to God’s wonderful plan for all of us!

An electrical engineer by training, Larry Murray got involved with computers when they were still behemoths (e.g. IBM 360). He has handled large turnkey software projects, sales and marketing and IT market research. Larry and family live on a small holding in Pretoria, South Africa, with their dog, nine cats and (at last count) four hadedas (of the ibis family) and 27 guinea fowl.