There once was a congregation filled with pleasant people who enjoyed being together. Most of those who were in the congregation had known each other for many years, and were comfortable together. They often had meals together. They were very careful about who preached and what was said from the pulpit, and carefully screened each piece of the study material used for the Bible classes and all the lessons that were available in the tract rack, to see that they contained no false teaching. Each year they always invited a well-known preacher to preach a series of sermons, that they called their “annual gospel meeting.” They would always chose carefully the person who came to preach, trying to get the best person possible, knowing that the “annual Gospel meeting” was one of their few “ways reach the community,” along with the weekly radio program and Internet Web site where lessons were placed that had been previously been taught by “the preacher” of the congregation.

The congregation placed much emphasis on attendance to every “worship service” and all the
“faithful” always came well-dressed, because all the members knew that it was only fitting that one wear their best clothes to “show respect” to the Lord, much as you would if a visiting dignitary were to come to visit.

Everyone came with big smiles to the meetings of the church, and there were hand-shakes and hugs seen as the friendly members came together, and there was even a friendly greeting for the occasional visitor. Such visitors were invited to return, when they had the occasion to do so, and during the worship, visitors were instructed to fill out a visitors card. The “church secretary” would send the visitor a form letter signed by the “preacher” inviting them to return at their earliest convenience. Many visitors had come and gone in the past couple of decades, but few stayed very long.

The worship was very well organized and a volunteer headed up many aspects of the worship, such as the singing, prayers, the Lord’s supper, and the offering. There was also a group that saw to the cleaning of the building, and twice a year there was a building clean-up and maintenance day, one of which was immediately before the “yearly Gospel meeting.”

The congregation had only two elders left and two deacons, who did what they could to see that everything continued much the same as it always had. Previously there had been four elders and six deacons, but some had died, and some had moved away. This congregation had enjoyed an illustrious chain of well-known preachers, including many who had been known as some of the “best preachers in the brotherhood.” On the wall of one of the long halls of the building, their photographs were displayed, stretching back through the years, all the way up to the present one. The oldest of those photographs were noticeably faded and yellowed with age.

The preacher who gave all the sermons in the congregation always gave a very pleasant and well-organized lesson, usually on some doctrinal point that he feared was not getting enough emphasis, or that he had heard that some neighboring congregation was not properly observing. He was extremely well-respected by the congregation because of his “stand for the truth.” The respect that the members had for him was obvious to all, because he had been in the congregation for the last fifteen years. Despite his advanced age and the fact that he was somewhat feeble and prone to repeat the same sermon topics, with certain variations, he was still considered one of the most “faithful gospel preachers” around.

Everything seemed very happy and orderly, and generations had passed their lifetimes in the congregation in much the same way. There were a few minor differences. One was that people came in cars instead of horses and wagons. So, fifty years ago, the congregation bought and paved two small neighboring properties in order to ensure that people could park their cars and that there would be no problem with the neighbors, due to the members parking in front of their houses. Also, songs and sermons were now displayed on large projection screens and people seldom used the hymnals anymore. Air conditioning had replaced the old ceiling fans and the pot-bellied stove, and there were thick comfortable pads on the pews and carpet on the floors. Except for these rather obvious but unimportant differences, things continued about the same.

Years passed with little to disturb this routine. However, for about the last fifteen or twenty years, it had become increasingly noticeable that many of the pews that had years ago been filled with many people were empty, and the great paved parking lot was almost never filled, not even during during the “annual gospel meetings.” Although this lamentable trend was disturbing to the congregation, it was generally considered that it was probably because “people just don’t like faithful gospel preaching anymore.”

Efforts made by a few members to suggest that it was a necessity that each member prepare his/her materials in order to be ready to teach friends, acquaintances, and family the truth of the Gospel, were generally rebuffed by comments such as, “We have tried that before,” or “People just don’t want to listen,” and “Don’t we have a preacher for that, and don’t we have our Gospel meetings, and our Web site? If anyone wants to hear the God’s word, wouldn’t that be enough?” But, some insisted that the having your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace is a part of every true Christian’s armor and, as such, none should be without that preparation (Ephesians 6:15) and that if we don’t prepare ourselves, we shall never be able to share our knowledge of the Gospel with others. But, others argued that that was not their “gift” and anyway, the preacher and the elders should do that. One “knowledgeable” man in the congregation who had been there for many years stated that it was not practical to expect everyone to prepare themselves to tell others about how to be saved. But, those who were insisting that everyone prepare themselves continued to insist, saying that 1 Peter 3:15 tells us that we all should be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks us a reason for the hope that we have in Christ, and how could we have an answer if we are not prepared? But, most in the congregation agreed that such was too much to ask. But, the relentless teachers of God word continued insisting that 1 Peter 2:9 says clearly, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” Surely, they said, that verse didn’t apply only to preachers and elders. But, their efforts fell on deaf ears. Nothing could break the congregations insistence on depending on a few expertly trained “evangelists” to do the work of saving souls, Many in the congregation knew that they had friends and family that would not listen if someone who they did not know well went to teach them. But, it was easier to continue on as they had for years. After all, had they not always depended upon certain evangelists to do all that work?

So, the years passed by and the congregation continued to dwindle. Some began to suggest that perhaps it was time to get a new preacher who could “breathe new life into the congregation,” maybe someone somewhat younger who could attract more young families. But, nothing really changed, and gradually their number dwindled.

Because they were so few in number, and those who remained had neither the financial resources nor the physical strength to continue to do what they previously did, slowly those few began to agree that they could no longer maintain the building and so now, where previously for many years a congregation met, they meet no more. The building is gone and has been replaced by a school parking lot.

How long will those who call themselves Christians, continue depending on men and refuse to take upon themselves their part in the body, to carry out the purpose of Christ—that of seeking and saving the lost? How long will they continue to meet in buildings and carry on in the same way and never seek to take their part in preparing themselves and carrying out the purpose for which Christ died?

The story you have read really is not the story any one particular congregation, but it describes what is seen in many congregations that continue do these same things in the same ways. The result is always the same! We must, all of us, either set ourselves to accomplish Christ’s purpose to seek and save the lost, or gradually fade away, become increasingly irrelevant and useless and, as others before, find ourselves saying, “There was a congregation….”