Is Your Church A "Living" Movement Or A "dieing" Museum?

I’ve been actively involved within the local church all my life; from choir member to usher to musician to Worship Pastor to minister to teacher to elder to Teaching Pastor to Senior Pastor; from traditional Baptist to Southern Baptist to Pentecostal/Holiness to Seeker Sensitive to Word of Faith to Reformed to Non-Denomination to COOGIC to COOLJC to AME to Presbyterian to Assemblies of God. In over 36 years of active involvement within the local church I have been apart of living movements and dieing museums. In this article I want to share a few indicators to help churches discover if they are a living movement or a dieing museum. Let's start with some simple definitions. According to the Oxford Dictionary: 

• A movement is a group of people working together to advance their shared political, social, or artistic ideas.

• A museum is a building in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited. 

These definitions provide striking insight to help churches answer the question "Is This A Movement or Museum?” Notice our first definition above. For our discussion, this definition could read, “A movement is a group of Christians working together to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ within their church, community, and world.” The key phrases or terms that indicate if a church is a movement are: group of Christians, working together, advance the gospel of Jesus Christ, their church, community, and world. Basically, the entire definition. 

Group of Christians 

The church is not the world. The world is not the church. Unbelievers are not apart of the church. The church is comprised of a group (assembling) of Christians, followers, learners, lovers, devotees of Christ. One of the assignments of the church (group of Christians) is to reach unbelievers, not to be unbelievers. The first indicator of a movement is that it consists of a group of Christians who are genuine lovers, learners, and followers of Jesus Christ, not simply lovers, learners, and followers of churches dogma (traditions) or denominations. 

Working Together 

Wherever you see a group of genuine lovers, learners, and followers of Jesus Christ (the church) you will see unity. Unity is where biblical agreement takes priority over preferential disagreements. To joyfully agree on the essential teachings of scripture and lovingly disagree on the non-essential traditions of the church is a recipe to unity. The second indicator of a movement is that a group of Christians are working together. 

Advance the gospel of Jesus Christ

The ultimate goal, vision, aim, bottomline of the local church is to glorify Jesus Christ. To proclaim and demonstrate who Christ is, what He has done, and what He will do in the age to come. That is, to display His beauty, His joy, His splendor, His goodness, His grace, His forgiveness, His love, His purpose, His magnificence, His wonders, His power (I can go on and on, but you get the picture) throughout the world, that all people, of all tribes, of all nations, of all languages, of all colors, may trust in Him. The third indicator of a movement is that a group of Christians are working together to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Their Church

A movement begins within the Christian, then within the church. A church must first be impacted by the gospel before attempting to impact its community with the gospel. A church can’t simply proclaim how the gospel brings racial and cultural unified-diversity, it must demonstrate that the gospel brings racial and cultural unified-diversity. A church can’t simply proclaim that God loves the poor, the community, and the world, yet it does not demonstrate God’s love for the poor, the community, and the world. The fourth indicator of a movement is that a group of Christians are working together to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ within their church. 

Community 

A church that goes into all the world yet neglects its community, its neighbors, has misunderstood the mission of Jesus Christ. The community of the church takes priority over the world. This is not to say that a church should neglect the world to reach its community. A church must be strategic in its efforts to impact its surrounding community, and then, the world: Jerusalem (where you are), Judea, Samaria, to the remotest parts of the world. The fifth indicator of a movement is that a group of Christians are working together to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ within their church and community. 

World 

A church that goes into its community yet neglects the world has misunderstood the mission of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of who Jesus Christ is, what He has done, and what He is going to do in the age to come. This is good news, and good news must be spread throughout the world. It cannot stop within the walls of the church nor can it be confined to the parameters of its surrounding community. If Jesus Christ loved the world, came for the world, died for the world, and desires that all come to trust in Him it is the joyful responsibility and assignment of the local church to spread this good news all over the world. The sixth indicator of a movement is that a group of Christians are working together to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ within their church, community, and world. 

Notice our second definition above. For our discussion, this definition could read, “A museum is a church building in which objects and practices of the past are stored and exhibited, and hailed as king.” The key phrases or terms that indicate if a church is a museum are: church building, objects and practices of the past are stored, exhibited, and hailed as king. Again, basically the entire definition. 

Church Building 

A museum is all about its facilities. Why? Because they provide a sanctuary to the sacred objects and practices of what Thom Rainer would call “The Heroes of the Past”. A museum places more focus on the church building than those who worship within its walls. More money is allocated to the upkeep and celebration of sacred spaces and furniture than to proclaiming and demonstrating the gospel of Jesus Christ within the church, the community, and the world. A museum is also a place where rules and restricted areas are hailed as king. Do not wear this upon entering. Do not say this upon entering. Do do this on church grounds. Do not sit in this place. Do not move this furniture. Do not walk here. Do not lean on this. Do not paint this. Do not add that. Do not change this. On and on. Why? Because a museum says, “Come and see what they’ve done”. The first indicator of a museum is, it is simply a church building without any advancement for the community and world. 

Objects and Practices

A museum is all about objects and practices. Remember, a museum says, “Come and See…”. Most of the time these objects and practices have nothing to do with the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel. They have no part in impacting the community or the world. They are objects and practices that are hailed as sacred because they were once methods used to achieve a goal, and now they have become the goal. “Don’t make your methods of achieving your goal, become your goal.” Moreover, a museum is mostly about something past or someone dead, and not about something advancing or someone living. The second indicator of a museum is that it is a church building in which objects and practices are held as king. 

Past

A museum is all about the past. “I remember when. We used to. The good old days. The way it used to be. When we had Pastor Joe. When the church was full. When people used to…and so on.” A museum is about looking back and simply reflecting. A movement looks back, looks at, and moves forward. The church building of a museum looks like the past, the good ole days. This is where Mr., Mrs., Pastor, and Deacon so and so sat. These are the cloths and curtain Mrs. Blue made. This is the color Missionary Jones chose for the church pews and carpet. This is where we used to pray for 12 hours. We’ve always had Sunday school, and this is the table we read the minutes and took the attendance: “5 present in the adult class, 1 present in the children’s class, and total offering 5 dollars”. This is where I got saved. This table is the Lords actual table “Do This In Remembrance of Me.” Do not change ANYTHING! OR ELSE! A museum is where the “Past is the Hero” and the future stands at odds with it. The third indicator of a museum is that it is a church building in which objects and practices of the past are hailed as king. 

Stored, Exhibited, and Hailed as King

When you enter a museum you are immediately confronted with warning signs and posts that read “DO NOT TOUCH! DO NOT SIT! DO NOT WALK BEYOND THIS POINT!” Sound familiar? Why? Because objects and practices of past heroes are stored there. They are exhibited in a way that you must only see them and join those in hailing them as king. Not to hail these past heroes as king is a clear sign that you do not appreciate history or this museum and you certainly do not belong to this church. Sound familiar? Adapt to us. Accept and appreciate what we value. Become one of us. If not, go elsewhere! The fourth indicator of a museum is that it is a church building in which objects and practices of the past are stored, exhibited, and hailed as king. A church museum often proclaims that they care about spreading the gospel to the community and world, but will always default back to the refuge of the building. It is not impacted by the gospel, and therefore will not make an impact for the gospel. 

These are a few indicators to help churches see if they are a Movement or Museum. Remember, a Museum says, “Come and See What They’ve Done” and a Movement says, “Come and Go Where We Are Going.”