Roger at “SimpleChurch Journal” recently asked a question and, in a post called “Organizing Your Thoughts on What Hinders the Western Church,” reports on the fascinating responses that he received.
Two weeks ago, Roger asked his readers to “help in identifying the key hindrances in the Western church.” Somehow, I missed his post, but I did not miss his current post, in which he summarizes the responses that he received.
This is what he reports:
Key Hindrances:
1. Our relationship with God
- Lack of intimacy with God
- Not listening
- We don’t know Him as He is
- We don’t know His word and/or we are lackadaisical about it
2. Our involvement in religious traditions and legalism
- Religious attitudes
- Man-made traditions
- Religion and pride
- Comfort-seeking in our church life
- Me-centered in our church life
- Consumer mentality as a Christian
3. Our followership (our walk as disciples)
- Lack of obedience to Jesus alone
- Lack of obedience to all of Jesus’ commands
- Not making disciples
- Not surrendered wholly
- No passion for the lost
- Compromise
Interestingly, while Roger writes about “simple church,” I do not think the things listed are limited to either simple (or non-simple) church structures and organization.
What do you think? Are these the “key hindrances”? Have you recognized these hindrances in your own life or in the life of the Christians around you?
