How did we get here?

It is the playwright's position that the American Church is failing in its most basic calling and is approaching irrelevance; it has become a cultural chameleon. Limp. Ineffective. There are a plethora of reasons, but to name a few:

Failure to make disciples. Churches are failing to take seriously the call to evangelize and make disciples. Only 51% of American churchgoers have heard of the Great Commission(1). Most Churchgoers have not had a Gospel conversation in the past 6 months(2) . Churches boasting about growth, saying, “that doesn’t apply to us” or “we’re different”, ignore the statistical fact that only 7% of church growth is from conversion. In other words, 93% of church growth is the result of saints “recirculating”(3). (Sadly, some churches—even pastors--actively recruit saints from neighboring churches; we are devouring our own. But hey, if a church can "steal a sheep" that's cuts out the need for discipling). Pastors and church “leaders” seem to prefer large numbers over brokenness.

Failure to give the Bible its proper place as God’s perfect and true written Word. Only 32% of Protestant churchgoers read the Bible daily(4), despite having greater access to the Bible than any other time in world history. Many orthodox biblical truths are no longer accepted: only 30% of Christians believe that Jesus is the only way to God(5), there is growing disbelief in hell(6); only 6% of adults have a biblical world view(7). The result is catastrophic: “When we neglect reading the Bible, we don’t just miss knowledge, we miss God”(8). Our American culture is becoming biblically illiterate; truth is relative or individualized. Our faith is built on a buffet of ideas, experiences, and preferences--not God's Word.(9)

Failure to pray. Prayer has become an afterthought or a simple “go to” response. How often have we said: “I will pray for you” and don’t? How often have we said: “I’m praying for you” and are not? How often have we said: “Let’s pray about it”, but the “it” is forgotten? A 2020 study found that daily prayer among professing Christians has dropped to an all-time low: 45%.(10)

Yet we know that it is in prayer we experience the goodness of God, falling to our knees in repentance. We are exposed, yet safe. Jesus is glorified. The evil one cowers. It is in prayer we embrace our leaders, our enemies, those persecuted, and those who persecute. It is in prayer, we break for the lost, are humbled by our salvation, and confidently ask for those tender “desires of the heart”.(11) It is in prayer we experience healing and hope. Restoration becomes reality. We learn to love by experiencing His love. Celebration.

Jesus, quoting the prophet Isaiah, said: “My house shall be a house of prayer”.(12) Prayer mattered to Jesus. We know this. Oh, we know it. And yet there is a cognitive dissonance in our life. A disconnect.

The result? Many American Churches have become a farce. A comedy in two-acts.

The final curtain will soon fall.

It’s been said that “Theatre is a mirror” (Reza). Indeed. Let us laugh at ourselves, reflect upon what many American Churches have become, weep, repent, and pray for a spiritual awakening in our churches.

Let it begin with me.

1. Thom Ranier, 5 Realities of Evangelism in North American Churches, October 4,

2017, Lifeway.

2. Aaron Earls, Christians Don’t Share Faith With Unchurched Friends,

September 9, 2022, Lifeway Research.

3. Ranier.

4. Bible Literacy Crisis! (And What You Can Do About It in 2020), January 14, 2020,

Justin Dillehar and Ivan Mesa, The Gospel Coalition.

5. John 14:6.

6. Milton Quintanilla, Almost 70% of Christians Do Not Believe That Jesus Is The

Only Way To God, ChristianHeadlines.com, October 22, 2021.

7. Molly Carman, New Barna Research Reveals Extent of America’s Lost Faith, June

22, 2021.

8. Dillehar and Mess.

9. Carman.

10. Douglas A. Sweeney, Can Evangelicals Be Bothered to Pray?, The Gospel

Coalition, May 16, 2022.

11. Psalm 37:4

12. Matthew 23:27-28