Subject: When did the catholic church go wrong? |
Bible Note: I wonder how many of those churches with less than 75 members are rural churches. In Texas and Oklahoma (and I would assume Arkansas, too) I have seen good churches in the middle of nowhere with twelve people on the membership rolls. Also, I would like to see more data on these closing churches. Churches do not always close for bad reasons. Sometimes two small congregations will merge. Sometimes the community changes in such a way as to cause the membership to dwindle. Demographics changes can also lead to church membership decline as well. So can persecution (e.g Jerusalem A.D. 70) It is interesting to read the first few chapters of Revelation and know that those churches do not exist anymore. And yet the invisible church triumphant that the saints of God belong to does and has always existed since God first established it, and God will preserve it until the return of His Son. The manifestation of the church in the world is a fluid thing, non-static in its geography and intensity. I am glad your church is so worthy of the praise you give it Hank. I too am blessed to be in a congregation where the supremacy of the Triune God and Scripture can be found in every nook and cranny of that building, its teaching and worship. We certainly have our traditions, but we pay careful heed to the words of Christ to the Pharisees: "And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?" --Matthew 15:3 (see also Mark 7) --Joe! |