A recent George Barna study, entitled State of the Church 2025, indicates that “…66 percent of all U. S. adults say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today.” The study notes that this trend has been increasing since 2021—which, as you no doubt remember, was the first full year of the COVID-19 pandemic in America. https://www.barna.com/research/belief-in-jesus-rises/
The study indicates that there are as many as 30 million more believers in Jesus today than there were just four years ago. However, in many cases, churches are not seeing an increase in their attendance or membership.
I believe we should rightfully rejoice in what God is doing. I have often said that I see the rain of revival as a cloud the size of a man’s hand, ready to burst into waves of refreshing across our parched spiritual landscape. Statistics such as the one I have mentioned here provide evidence that just such a revitalization is taking shape. I thank God for it, and I enjoin every believer to do the same.
However, I cannot help but issue a warning as well. What is it that causes people to say they love Jesus, but avoid attending or becoming a part of a local assembly of believers? Could it be that they have experienced, or know someone who has experienced, disappointment and disillusionment when they dared to come across the threshold of a local church?
Here is an excerpt from my book The Miracles of Jesus that addresses this issue:
“Thousands of people walk into church buildings every week looking for God. They expect to find Him, because they see His name on the building or on the sign in front of it. But what they see instead is many of the same pathologies that they are trying to escape, or at least avoid for a brief period.
What do those hoping to see God, or some evidence that God actually exists, find when they come to church? What they should find is people who love God with abandon, demonstrated by their care for those outside the church walls.
They should find the truth, proclaimed in power from the pulpit, with the evidence of changed lives in the pews. They should find signs, wonders and miracles, which are the “Amen!” of God to the proclamation of His word. They should find the opportunity to experience the meaning and fulfillment that can only come from a real, up-to-date, personal relationship with an everlasting and almighty God.
They should find a God who loves them, a Savior who laid down His life for them and a Holy Spirit who will infill and empower them to live a new life instead of the same old life they are trying to escape.
Instead, in many churches, all the earnest seeker will find is a light show that is carefully contrived and music that is creatively choreographed—but the cross is never seen and Christ is never mentioned. What they will find is that the only thing that seems to matter to anyone is the size of the crowd and the charisma of the speaker. They may rarely be asked to consider a decision, but they will not be challenged to submit to a conversion. They will be invited to be entertained, but not confronted with the need for a transformation.
They will, in most places, find the same fears, rivalries, jealousies and insecurities that plague the rest of the world. And when the frustrated visitor sees that the church has nothing to offer but more of the same, only with a lot of religious restrictions attached, it is no surprise that they will say, “Not for me, thanks.” (pp. 16-19)
How can we provide an effective antidote to this dilemma? It seems to me that in the past, we have offered two different kinds of church experiences to those seeking a relationship with Jesus.
On one hand, there are those who emphasize the old fashioned, fire and brimstone, hellfire and damnation messages to try to scare people into the kingdom of God. There is no question that we need to tell people the truth about hell, and the reality of eternity separated from God. However, we must realize that we live in a culture that has been steeped in excess when it comes to emotional shock and awe. Many people have become numb to what would have scared people half to death at other times. Chances are good that your description of the fires of hell will have little effect on those who have seen supernatural evil portrayed in stunning visual effects by the best images that computer generated graphics have to offer.
The other extreme is like the ditch on the opposite side of the road. Some churches emphasize feelings and shared experiences to such an extreme that they excise the gospel message from their services altogether. There is no call for commitment. There is no need for repentance. Sin is a concept that is seldom mentioned and self is exalted to godlike status. Comfort and convenience are the utmost priority. Sacrifice and service don’t have a place. This, too, sends the wrong message to those seeking safety in the ark of God.
How can we present a welcoming atmosphere to those who want to join us, while at the same time letting the seekers know that there is a cross that bleeds, a Savior who died and rose again, and a God who loves them (and everyone around them) with a furious love? We must emphasize that what we have to offer is an alternative to both eternal damnation at the first offense and greasy grace that is offended at nothing. How do we thread that needle? I have some recommendations.
Keep in mind that the reason people visit your church for the first time probably has nothing to do with your preaching. They may be new in town or in the neighborhood, and are looking for a local place to call their church home. They may be looking for options regarding spiritual instruction for their small children or teenagers. They may have heard of your church on social media. The most likely reason they will come to your church service is because someone they know invited them.
Once they are there on the premises, the bigger question is this: what will they find when they arrive? You have no doubt heard the old adage, “You never have a second chance to make a first impression.” The reason the adage became old is because it is incontrovertibly true.
You may have heard me say that we need to put a fence around our churches with razor wire on top to separate the serious seekers from the casual observers. Although that example is obviously hyperbole, there will come a day when people will be desperate enough to do just that. Until that time comes, we of course ought to make our services as welcoming as we can so that everyone will feel well treated and cared for by genuine servant leaders. Here are some ways that can happen.
First, make sure your grounds and your building look as good as you can make them. For those in northern regions, that means clearing your parking lots of snow and ice in the winter. If there is grass anywhere on the premises, it needs to be kept cut and trimmed. The church building and locale should be free of trash. Repairs and maintenance need to be a priority. In addition, there should be adequate signage to let visitors know where to park, or where not to park.
Regarding the building itself, anything that can be cleaned should be, including floors, doors, windows, light fixtures, restrooms, classrooms, the tabernacle, platform, and any other public space. How a place looks (and smells) can have a profound and lasting effect on visitors.
Make every effort to control the chaos that can sometimes characterize children’s ministry. This is more complex than I can deal with here, and perhaps I will make it the subject of another newsletter. The bottom line is this: people will not come back to a place if they feel their children have not been given proper attention. I urge you to devote whatever resources are necessary to make sure this area of ministry is the very best that it can be. You will not regret making that commitment.
The people who are forward facing—those your visitors will see first—should be people who smile easily. Not everyone is anointed to be a greeter. Find those who are and assign them that task. Find those who are not and give them something else to do.
I am focusing on what happens with visitors before they get into the tabernacle, or whatever designation you give to the space where you conduct the church service. The reason for this is that if you don’t do what is outside well, you will have a distracted audience once they come inside, instead of a focused audience.
However, once they are inside, don’t miss the opportunity to speak to their hearts forthrightly and transparently with the genuine gospel of Jesus Christ. It may be the only chance they will ever have to hear the gospel message. I am not saying that every Sunday sermon needs to be a salvation message. What I am saying is that every Sunday there will be people present who either need to make a first commitment to Jesus as Savior or rededicate their lives to Him. Make sure they know how to do that, and give them the opportunity to do so before the service comes to an end. There will be rejoicing in heaven and tremors in hell because you do.
The trend is moving in our direction. Momentum is on our side. As my pastor, Dr. Lester Sumrall said, momentum is the most difficult thing to achieve and maintain and the easiest thing to lose. Resist the temptation to let up when you see anything going the right way. Keep your foot on the accelerator or your hand on the throttle so momentum does not escape you.
People are coming to Jesus. If you will make your church a welcoming place that offers an alternative to the chaos and confusion that the world has to offer, they will soon be coming to your services as well.
Yours for the Harvest,
Dr. Rod Parsley
Founder & General Overseer
The study indicates that there are as many as 30 million more believers in Jesus today than there were just four years ago. However, in many cases, churches are not seeing an increase in their attendance or membership.
I believe we should rightfully rejoice in what God is doing. I have often said that I see the rain of revival as a cloud the size of a man’s hand, ready to burst into waves of refreshing across our parched spiritual landscape. Statistics such as the one I have mentioned here provide evidence that just such a revitalization is taking shape. I thank God for it, and I enjoin every believer to do the same.
However, I cannot help but issue a warning as well. What is it that causes people to say they love Jesus, but avoid attending or becoming a part of a local assembly of believers? Could it be that they have experienced, or know someone who has experienced, disappointment and disillusionment when they dared to come across the threshold of a local church?
Here is an excerpt from my book The Miracles of Jesus that addresses this issue:
“Thousands of people walk into church buildings every week looking for God. They expect to find Him, because they see His name on the building or on the sign in front of it. But what they see instead is many of the same pathologies that they are trying to escape, or at least avoid for a brief period.
What do those hoping to see God, or some evidence that God actually exists, find when they come to church? What they should find is people who love God with abandon, demonstrated by their care for those outside the church walls.
They should find the truth, proclaimed in power from the pulpit, with the evidence of changed lives in the pews. They should find signs, wonders and miracles, which are the “Amen!” of God to the proclamation of His word. They should find the opportunity to experience the meaning and fulfillment that can only come from a real, up-to-date, personal relationship with an everlasting and almighty God.
They should find a God who loves them, a Savior who laid down His life for them and a Holy Spirit who will infill and empower them to live a new life instead of the same old life they are trying to escape.
Instead, in many churches, all the earnest seeker will find is a light show that is carefully contrived and music that is creatively choreographed—but the cross is never seen and Christ is never mentioned. What they will find is that the only thing that seems to matter to anyone is the size of the crowd and the charisma of the speaker. They may rarely be asked to consider a decision, but they will not be challenged to submit to a conversion. They will be invited to be entertained, but not confronted with the need for a transformation.
They will, in most places, find the same fears, rivalries, jealousies and insecurities that plague the rest of the world. And when the frustrated visitor sees that the church has nothing to offer but more of the same, only with a lot of religious restrictions attached, it is no surprise that they will say, “Not for me, thanks.” (pp. 16-19)
How can we provide an effective antidote to this dilemma? It seems to me that in the past, we have offered two different kinds of church experiences to those seeking a relationship with Jesus.
On one hand, there are those who emphasize the old fashioned, fire and brimstone, hellfire and damnation messages to try to scare people into the kingdom of God. There is no question that we need to tell people the truth about hell, and the reality of eternity separated from God. However, we must realize that we live in a culture that has been steeped in excess when it comes to emotional shock and awe. Many people have become numb to what would have scared people half to death at other times. Chances are good that your description of the fires of hell will have little effect on those who have seen supernatural evil portrayed in stunning visual effects by the best images that computer generated graphics have to offer.
The other extreme is like the ditch on the opposite side of the road. Some churches emphasize feelings and shared experiences to such an extreme that they excise the gospel message from their services altogether. There is no call for commitment. There is no need for repentance. Sin is a concept that is seldom mentioned and self is exalted to godlike status. Comfort and convenience are the utmost priority. Sacrifice and service don’t have a place. This, too, sends the wrong message to those seeking safety in the ark of God.
How can we present a welcoming atmosphere to those who want to join us, while at the same time letting the seekers know that there is a cross that bleeds, a Savior who died and rose again, and a God who loves them (and everyone around them) with a furious love? We must emphasize that what we have to offer is an alternative to both eternal damnation at the first offense and greasy grace that is offended at nothing. How do we thread that needle? I have some recommendations.
Keep in mind that the reason people visit your church for the first time probably has nothing to do with your preaching. They may be new in town or in the neighborhood, and are looking for a local place to call their church home. They may be looking for options regarding spiritual instruction for their small children or teenagers. They may have heard of your church on social media. The most likely reason they will come to your church service is because someone they know invited them.
Once they are there on the premises, the bigger question is this: what will they find when they arrive? You have no doubt heard the old adage, “You never have a second chance to make a first impression.” The reason the adage became old is because it is incontrovertibly true.
You may have heard me say that we need to put a fence around our churches with razor wire on top to separate the serious seekers from the casual observers. Although that example is obviously hyperbole, there will come a day when people will be desperate enough to do just that. Until that time comes, we of course ought to make our services as welcoming as we can so that everyone will feel well treated and cared for by genuine servant leaders. Here are some ways that can happen.
First, make sure your grounds and your building look as good as you can make them. For those in northern regions, that means clearing your parking lots of snow and ice in the winter. If there is grass anywhere on the premises, it needs to be kept cut and trimmed. The church building and locale should be free of trash. Repairs and maintenance need to be a priority. In addition, there should be adequate signage to let visitors know where to park, or where not to park.
Regarding the building itself, anything that can be cleaned should be, including floors, doors, windows, light fixtures, restrooms, classrooms, the tabernacle, platform, and any other public space. How a place looks (and smells) can have a profound and lasting effect on visitors.
Make every effort to control the chaos that can sometimes characterize children’s ministry. This is more complex than I can deal with here, and perhaps I will make it the subject of another newsletter. The bottom line is this: people will not come back to a place if they feel their children have not been given proper attention. I urge you to devote whatever resources are necessary to make sure this area of ministry is the very best that it can be. You will not regret making that commitment.
The people who are forward facing—those your visitors will see first—should be people who smile easily. Not everyone is anointed to be a greeter. Find those who are and assign them that task. Find those who are not and give them something else to do.
I am focusing on what happens with visitors before they get into the tabernacle, or whatever designation you give to the space where you conduct the church service. The reason for this is that if you don’t do what is outside well, you will have a distracted audience once they come inside, instead of a focused audience.
However, once they are inside, don’t miss the opportunity to speak to their hearts forthrightly and transparently with the genuine gospel of Jesus Christ. It may be the only chance they will ever have to hear the gospel message. I am not saying that every Sunday sermon needs to be a salvation message. What I am saying is that every Sunday there will be people present who either need to make a first commitment to Jesus as Savior or rededicate their lives to Him. Make sure they know how to do that, and give them the opportunity to do so before the service comes to an end. There will be rejoicing in heaven and tremors in hell because you do.
The trend is moving in our direction. Momentum is on our side. As my pastor, Dr. Lester Sumrall said, momentum is the most difficult thing to achieve and maintain and the easiest thing to lose. Resist the temptation to let up when you see anything going the right way. Keep your foot on the accelerator or your hand on the throttle so momentum does not escape you.
People are coming to Jesus. If you will make your church a welcoming place that offers an alternative to the chaos and confusion that the world has to offer, they will soon be coming to your services as well.
Yours for the Harvest,
Dr. Rod Parsley
Founder & General Overseer