"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." {Matthew 16:18} The Lord promised to build His church, and He opened its door to the lost on the Day of Pentecost following His ascension. On the religious forefront in our country are the community and mega-churches that are growing rapidly. On a recent vacation in the state of Texas, I observed that this movement is also affecting the Lord's church. Let me explain...
Richland Hills Church. In Dallas, a friend drove me past the Richland Hills Church-of-Christ building. It's quite a sight. Membership is over 5,000; the "complex" has four or five buildings, and they are still remodeling the major building where the auditorium holds two separate worship services on Sunday. I'm told their weekly contribution reaches six figures! Recently, this church's elders, after much study and prayer, sent out a letter stating they were going to begin using mechanical instruments of music in some of the services.
Another building is called the 24/7 club (or was it the 7/24 club). This is a structure that was built to give kids a place to come 24 hours a day. It contains a basketball court, video games, and other things attractive to young people. To pay for the 24/7 club, the elders, not wishing to go into debt, took up a special contribution one Sunday. This contribution raised three million dollars, but they were still about $500,000 short. Not to worry, a few members wrote checks and gave them to the elders to finish the project. Praise to God, it was built debt-free!
Another building houses a food pantry that remains stocked for those who come to the church in need of help. A special delegation of members interviews those who need help and determines whether they are worthy.
The other building contains a library and offices of the officials who work for the church. To put it mildly, it was quite an impressive sight!
Sadly, the elders of this church have forgotten the mission the Lord gave when He designed His church-evangelism, edification, and benevolence for needy saints (Ephesians 4:11,12; Acts 4:34,35; Acts 20:32). Where does the youth center fit in? What about the food bank? How can they change the worship by adding instrumental music (Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19)? I almost forgot; they are also discussing women deacons! What about the qualifications for deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13)?
My advice to the Richland Hills Church-take the name off the building! This is exactly what Max Lucado convinced the elders in San Antonio to do. You may have large numbers, big beautiful buildings, and another YMCA for the kids, but the God of heaven will not be impressed!