Besides my work as a small church pastor I also work in a medical supply store.  One thing that has always struck me as odd is a policy Medicare has.  It's not worded this way, but what it boils down to is that you can only get worse, not better.

Let me give an example.  If your doctor sees you getting a little feeble he can prescribe a cane and medicare will help pay.  Later on if you get worse, he can prescribe a walker.  If things keep going down he can order a wheelchair.  And if things go really bad the doctor can prescribe a hospital bed.  Medicare will help with all of these.

But let's say it goes the other way.  You start out ill but get progressively better.  You are in a hospital bed but can get around now in a wheelchair.  You continue to improve and can now get around with a walker.  As time goes by you get so much better you only need a cane.  Great, right?  The thing is, this time Medicare will not help.  If they have ever helped pay for a bed, they won't pay on a wheelchair.  If they have paid on a wheelchair they won't pay for a walker, and so on.

I know a lot of small church leaders who have this same kind of mindset.  In their minds things can get worse, never better.  They do not expect to see growth at their church--and they are not disappointed!  After all, we are in the end times (this reasoning goes) and the Bible speaks of people falling away, not standing sound doctrine, etc.  If you ask them why things are going down at their church but up at others they will say things like "we preach the truth...people can't stand it in this age."

Problem is, a lot of the churches reaching people are Bible based congregations that "preach the truth."  What has happened?  We have fallen into the wrong mindset.  Like Medicare we have decided things can only get worse, never better.

Let's not adopt this defeated attitude.  Instead let's look to the Lord of the church to work in our congregations as He sees fit and do all we can to reach this generation for Jesus.