As you may have read in this space before , there is ample evidence to  show that the modern Church – at least in The United States – has lost its focus. Unfortunately, today the emphasis is often placed more on sustaining and expanding the church organization and its influence than on spiritually growing the Church body.

We’ve seen this before.

Five hundred years ago.

We can remain silent about it – perhaps even accept the status quo as an unfortunate truth about which we can do nothing – or we can speak out.

There is much that could be done to improve the modern church, and certainly each of us could compile our own list. The one below is offered simply in an effort to start a conversation. But be forewarned; challenging the status quo in anything is rarely welcomed – even when the intention is sound.

Let’s start easy and work our way up to the hard stuff.

1. A preacher of the Gospel should avoid sharing his personal opinion from the pulpit.

The whole point of preaching is to share THE Word. Not YOUR word.

2. The first mission of a church should be to disciple its people.

Ask your pastor to identify the greatest need in his church. If he doesn’t respond with “discipleship”, run him out of town on a rail. Believers are commanded to share the Gospel. Preparation is essential to fulfilling that command.

Okay, brace yourself – if you haven’t disagreed yet you probably will soon.

3. A church should never spend more money or time on its upkeep than on its outreach.

Ever see or hear of a kid in your community who didn’t have a decent winter coat? We all have. Ever see a church building in the same community without a central heat and air unit? Some of us have, but they’re rare.

4. A pastor should never make more than those under his care.

Personal jet for the guy wearing the mic? Yeah, I could just see Jesus doing that. Not supposed to be about image, brah. Yes, pay the preacher – by all means. But how much? A good place to start might be the median income level of his community – a figure which is readily available at your local Chamber of Commerce.

Fair warning – we’re about to step off into the deep water.

5. A church should never be in debt to a secular financial institution.

Ever heard a statement like this? “We don’t do bake sales and car washes. God’s church shouldn’t be out begging for money.” Probably. Ever heard that statement from a pulpit that wasn’t mortgaged down at the local bank? Not likely. Seems it’s okay to beg the local lending board in private, just not okay to beg the population at large in public. Again, not about image, dude – it’s about principle.

Speaking of which …

6. A church should never become involved in political activity.

How many people have you heard say their spouse changed after the wedding? Maybe you’ve said it. Several decades ago, the modern church married a national political party because that party said it represented Christian values. Fast forward, and today many believers are playing the role of long-time faithful companion to a mate who has constantly taken them for granted. In fact, let’s just tell the whole truth here – many church organizations and their pastors will publicly support a lecherous candidate because at least he’s on the right team.