What Is the Purpose of the Church?
I
n our technology-driven society, it seems that churches are becoming irrelevant—even on the verge of becoming obsolete.
Is the church irrelevant today?
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought out different views about a lot of things, including churches. Around the world, most church congregations closed their doors to in-person services in March of 2020 and were forced to hold “virtual” services online. This has deeply affected church attendance.
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DISCERN
The Church that Jesus built was founded on the Day of Pentecost, almost 2,000 years ago. Does this Church still exist? If so, what value does it have today?
Barna Group president David Kinnaman predicted that as many as 20 percent of churches would close their doors for good within 18 months because of a lack of interest. He also noted that one out of three people attending a church service prior to the pandemic had stopped attending altogether, and that included both online and in-person services.
What is the Church Jesus built?
Toward the end of His earthly ministry Jesus Christ announced to His disciples that He would build His
May/June 2021
