Most people want to talk about the decline of Christianity in America but there are signs of renewal and hope in certain segments of the church. As some people talk about church-less Christianity, one wonders how churches will respond in reaching these people who seem to want nothing to do with the institutional church? Two groups flying under the radar is the exponential growth of ethnic churches and some new church plants. People want to talk about the problem of immigration in our country when in spiritual terms, they are one of the few groups that are actually evangelizing our culture for Christ. Many immigrant churches are growing while Church attendance as a whole is in decline. Issues of spiritual growth, a sense of belonging, and equipping the saints is still at the forefront for churches that are staggering and losing ground.
A new store-front church in our area in Seymour Indiana is called "the Alley." It's actually a hard church to find and I have visited it on several occasions and I still can't figure out who you give the money to in supporting this new church work? Every Friday night, there are fifty or more people coming forward to give their lives to Christ or to surrender some form of addiction and idolatry in their life. The power of conversion alone is amazing to behold!
The Alley is actually spending their Sunday's to disciple and train new converts. Now that is something new today. If churches want to spark new life, they need to reach out and not just reach in. And isn't it time for churches to unify and join hands with other churches and celebrate what God is doing among His people? Maranatha! "Come Lord Jesus. Come!"
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