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January 12, 2009
In just a few weeks, "Legacy Churches" a book authored by Dr. Franklin Dumond and myself, will be released by ChurchSmart. The main thrust of the book deals with helping churches to close with dignity and yet impact the future with greater efficacy. Is that possible? Can the death of a church have a silver lining? Can a dying church give birth to a new movement of God through one final, selfless act? Here is an excerpt from chapter three that will help you to answer that question.
"Since death is an inevitable fact of life, how is the Christ-follower to view death? What is a proper theology of death? The Apostle Paul believed God was able “to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his [Christ’s] power that is at work within us” (Eph. 3:20). Did that refer to life on earth or life beyond the grave? The answer is simple: Yes! God’s power not only gives us life abundantly, but also life eternally. For the Christ-follower, death is not the end; rather, it is just the beginning of something greater. Paul summarized it best: “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). To die, at least for the Christian, is the great adventure all of us wait to experience. The writer of Hebrews penned, “it is appointed for all men to die once” (Heb. 9:27). No one can escape death. It is the great equalizer of all men. And yet, everyone seeks to avoid it.
We live in a culture that promotes a never-ending search for the Fountain of Youth. Thousands of Americans stream to the doctor each year for botox injections, face-lifts and tummy tucks in hopes of beating the odds. Death is viewed, by this culture, as the enemy rather than a glorious end and a new beginning. Unfortunately, this secular view of death has permeated the theology of the Church. Too many congregations have bought into the idea “survival at any cost” as the only faithful road to travel. Has the Church (in our present American culture) lost a meaningful theology of death? The scriptures remind us time and again that for the Christ-follower death will lead to new life. It shouldn’t be odd, therefore, for the Christian to celebrate and appreciate death.
If you really stop to think about it, you may come to the conclusion that sometimes more can be accomplished through death than through continued existence. No one understood this better than Jesus. Through His death, resurrection, and ascension, the Holy Spirit came to live in and empower us. Jesus told His disciples, “I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” John 16:7). Earlier in Jesus’ discussion about His impending death He told His disciples, “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24). Once again Jesus taught that his death would bring about fruit in ways His continued earthly ministry would not.
A few chapters later, Jesus drove the point home. “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Jesus did not see His own death as a failure. It seems fanciful to believe that we could do greater things than the Savior, but through His death and the subsequent sending of the Spirit, the Kingdom of God was propelled across the world. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered, gifted, called, and sent on a co-mission with Jesus.
Likewise, the death of a church does not need to be seen as an end or a failure. Local churches plateau, decline, and die. That’s a fact! David Ols
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