River Road Church Baptist

Dr. Cecil E. Sherman

October 26, 2003

Strengthening the Church

Acts 15:41-16:5

With my work, my assignment, I am to strengthen the church.   Today we make pledges to support this church in the year to come.   This will end an emphasis, at least in its public form, which funds the church for the year to come.   For some, the church has fallen on hard times; it does not have a good press.   A sizable number of people have quit the faith; the rise of modern paganism is well documented.   But a much larger number have dropped out of church and privatized their faith.   Quietly, they hold to faith, they show up on Easter, Christmas.   Publicly, they have withdrawn from any expression of it. I think this conduct is outside New Testament guidelines. We are called on to commit publicly and we are called on to be successors to the apostles and strengthen the church.  

I want to make some suggestions about ways we could do it as we tie a string around this October.   What can you do to strengthen the church?   Because I’m preaching to the choir…I don’t get to go out here on River Road and catch all the folk who don’t go to church.   I’m talking to the folks who do.   But what part can you have in strengthening the church?   First, you can join the church.   A sizable number of people sort of flirt with church.   They’re not exactly out and they’re not exactly in; we don’t have a category for you.   You’re neither hot nor cold…you’re occasionally around.   This gentle remark is spoken to you.   It’s indirect; some of you won’t get it.   The point is, you need to join a church.   That’s the first thing you can do to strengthen the church.   Jesus asked people to confess him publicly.   He didn’t gather a lot of people.   But the people he gathered were called to a pretty high standard.   A lot higher than we ask; not necessarily to our credit, but he put the bar high.   To say anything around here and get it heard broadly in the congregation, I need to say it four weeks in a row.   We kind of have a rotating presence around here.   It’s not that you’re not ever here; it’s just that you’re here whenever.   Or, as one member at Broadway told me, I come to church when I don’t have anything else to do.   Good night nurse! What kind of a loyalty is that!   Casual membership is pretty close to no membership at all.   At no Sunday at this church in my observation have half the members been present.   This isn’t a buck shot statement.   This is simply a fact.   At no Sunday – we have 1,100 people here, on any Sunday half the members show.   Tell me the Sunday we had that?   When Jim retired we filled the place up, a few people sat over here, that doesn’t constitute 1,100.  

I remember in conversation with the pastor at First Methodist Church in Fort Worth one time he said, “Cecil, I’ve got 1,000 members I’d be glad to give you.”   And I said, “Harry, just keep them.”   I wouldn’t know it if I got them.   He wouldn’t know it if they left.   What could you do to strengthen the church?   You could make attendance at church a thing that you think about…I’m serious.   I have an enormous confidence you’ll do the right thing if you’ll think about it.   One time I asked the people at Broadway to check on their calendars the Sundays the go to church and then in six months go back and look at themselves.   They don’t intend to be so casual; they just sort of drift into it.   Try that.   Between now and the first of the year check the Sundays you show and the ones you don’t and you decide if that is an appropriate presence for somebody who wants to strengthen the church.

The third thing you can do for the church is make a money gift to it.   Now it would seem like people who are members would support the church with the money.   But, like I described in the folk who don’t attend very often, according to the statistics given to us last Sunday, 39% of the members of this church don’t give anything to it at all.   All I did was just take that nothing number and add all the giving units up and work the percentage.   I don’t know anything about what’s in that office over there except what they tell me and it’s public knowledge…thirty-nine percent, nothing.   Where I was reared they’d say, “That ain’t right!”   Of course here you’re supposed to say, “That’s inappropriate.”   But you know it all comes about the same doesn’t it?   That’s not right!   Now, throw in the people who give less than $100 a month and there are people who are on welfare, if they tithe, would give $100 a month.   Throw them in and now we’re out to two out of three of all the members of our church.   This ought not be.   We ought to do better than that.   In the Bible, there is no costless discipleship. There is that text in the Old Testament where David wanted to offer sacrifice to God and a generous friend said, “Let me give you two oxen to make sacrifice.”   And David said, I will not offer sacrifice of that which cost me nothing.”   That’s religion!   Religion was never meant to be costless.   You want to strengthen the church, make a money gift.

Last comment – you want to strengthen the church, you can give time and talent to the church.   We need teachers for children almost perpetually.   Some of you have all kinds of qualifications.   The talent’s in the house…you want to strengthen the church?   Turn loose a little.   I found out I could get money out of folks as a pastor easier than I could get time out of them.   Folks are pretty careful about where they invest their time.   I am careful about it.   This place wants a piece of you.  

I remember talking to a young couple who had just moved to Fort Worth and they were thinking about joining the church and the fellow was a recent graduate of Texas A&M said, “What do you want from us?”   I said, “Well, you want us to do something for your children.”   He said, “Yeah, that’s the reason we’re joining.” I said, “We can’t do it if you don’t show up here twice a week, Sunday morning and Wednesday night.   If you’re going to expect us to give your child, or assist you in giving your child a Christian education, you’ve got to put the child here.   We can’t do it on once a month, twice a month, you’ve got to show.”   That’s what we need.   We need time from people.   This church is remarkably blessed in education, in means, and if that can be harnessed to the purposes of the congregation, the congregation is loosed to her mission.   That’s why we need some time from you.   Barbara and Chester need a piece of you.   Bob needs long-term adult Sunday school teachers.   Not six-week specials.   He needs commitment.   You want to strengthen the church?   Give the church your time and your remarkable ability.

Well, this ends an emphasis.   I want to say it again.   How can you strengthen the church?   Join the church, attend the church, give to the church, and give to the church your time and your talent.   There is nothing profound in this, but it’s ahead of where most of you are.   That’s why I wanted to say it to you on this dedication day.   I want you to strengthen the church.

CES; Lisa King, mt