The Devil’s Favorite Sermon: “The Church Is Dying”
Text: Luke 10:17-20 In the name of Jesus. Amen. The church is dying. You may not notice it, but it is. Just look at those old pictures from the 1950s and 60s. The pews are full. But look around today. In many churches, there are more empty pews than people. Indeed, the church is dying. The church is dying. You may not notice it, but it is. Look at the numbers. There was a time when more than eighty percent of Americans identified themselves as Christians. Our own Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod had more than 2.6 million members, and people were convinced she would continue to grow. But now? Only about sixty percent of Americans identify as Christian, and our Synod has declined by nearly a million members. Indeed, the church is dying. The church is dying. You may not notice it, but it is. There was a time when our seminaries graduated more than three hundred pastors every year. Today, that number is often fewer than one hundred. Indeed, the church is dying. The church is dyin...
