Bunnies Always Hop

There is no shortage of "worship wars" in the Church today.  I want to say it's sad because it is, but pathetic is probably a better word to use.  There are many within the Church that make music "the issue" all the time. "Numbers are down.  We need to change the music."  The fact remains that numerical growth does not equal spiritual growth or blessing for that matter.  

No doubt, music can draw crowds, but it has little or no power to keep them.  Bunnies always hop.  Oh sure they come for the music, but that's it.  So when someone does it bigger and better, they hop on over.  

And don't misunderstand me either.  I know there is a lot of bad music out there, and there are a lot of churches that need to revisit the issue.  But that is not the only question that needs to be asked.  In fact, it may not be in the top ten.

Kevin DeYoung discusses this idea of music being "the big drawing card", and he offers some better questions to ask in regards to declining numbers (I would offer that they are great questions to ask of a growing church as well).

Is the gospel faithfully preached?

Is the Bible taught with clarity and passion?

Are the sermons manifestly rooted in a text of Scripture?

Do the elders/pastors and deacons meet the qualifications for church office laid out in the New Testament?

Are the sacraments faithfully administered and protected?

Is church discipline practiced?

Do the elders exercise personal care over the flock?

Are there good relationships among the staff and other leaders?

Is the worship service put together thoughtfully and carried out with undistracting excellence (as much as possible)?

Do the people in the congregation sing the songs with gusto or are they going through the motions?

Is a high bar set for church membership?

Are the people of the church engaged in personal ministry?

Is the congregation marked by increasing prayer and evangelism?

Do the pastors believe in the complete trustworthiness of all of Scripture?

Do they take adequate time for study and preparation?

Do they truly believe and eagerly rejoice in their church’s/denomination’s statement of faith, creeds, and confessions?

Are their lives examples of personal holiness?

If these questions are being asked on a regular basis, chances are you will have a healthy church - regardless of the “numbers”.  Is your church asking the right questions?  Or is it trying to please bunnies?  If that’s the case, you need to remember the truth about bunnies - bunnies always hop.