The Church Awakening

I'm reading The Church Awakening by Charles Swindoll. We're doing a study in Acts at church and this struck me as a useful book into which I could dip along the way. In the first chapter he talks about course correction in order to address issues of erosion in church life. He sets out three simple truths about erosion: it is always slow, always silent, and always subtle. The implication of this is that unless we measure it, we simply will not spot it before it's too late.

Learning from the early church, Swindoll identifies three principles and three imperatives:

• Clear, biblical thinking must override secular planning and a corporate mentality. (Principle)
• Think spiritually (Imperative)

• Studied, accurate decisions must originate from God’s Word, not human opinions.
• Stay biblical.

• Wise, essential changes must occur to counteract any sign of erosion.
• Be flexible.

As he goes on to say: “you can have more than these, but you can’t have church with less than these.