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 dying. You may not notice it, but it is. Weekly worship attendance has declined, thousands of churches close every year, and congregations continue to age. It is only a matter of time before the lights are turned off for good. Indeed, the church is dying.

So, that begs the question: what are you going to do about it?

Are you just going to sit back and let the church die? Do you even care? Most people don't. But what about you? 

Perhaps you can help.

Maybe the church just needs better social media. Maybe if you could help your pastor learn the latest TikTok dance and convince the secretary and organist to join him, people would finally come. That might help the poor dying church, don't you think?

Or maybe gift cards, bicycles, and big-screen televisions could be given away. That’s it, you could tell everyone that if they attend Easter worship, they could win a prize. That might help the poor dying church, don't you think?

Maybe the pastors are the problem. Maybe they should stop preaching doctrine and theology. Maybe they should trade the clerical collar for skinny jeans, and start being more relevant – they should talk about self-improvement, life hacks, success, relationships, better finances, and healthier diets. That might help the poor dying church, don't you think?

And finally, perhaps we should update the worship. Get rid of the old liturgy. After all, who knows what Kyrie or Nunc Dimittis means? Shorten the service. Unplug the organ. Add screens, stage lights, and maybe a fog machine. Make it casual, entertaining, and visitor-friendly. Fewer hymns. More applause. No more funerals—only celebrations of life. Perhaps if church sounded a little more like Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, or Drake, people would finally come. That might help the poor dying church, don’t you think?

* * *

Dear friends, everything that I have just described is built upon one great lie. It is the lie that Christ has somehow failed. It is the lie that His Church is on the verge of collapse and that if we do not save the church, no one will. It is the lie that the future of the Church rests upon our shoulders. And that, dear friends, is exactly what Satan wants you to believe.

Now, let’s be clear!  Individual congregations can die. Districts can decline. Denominations can come and go. Christian nations can fall away from the faith. But the Church, though?  The church – she cannot die.

Why?

Not because the Church is so strong. Not because Christians are so faithful. Not because pastors are so clever. No, the Church cannot die because she belongs to Christ.

Think about it. 

The Church is the bride of Christ. Christ is not merely the founder of the Church. He is her living Head. And so, as the Groom lives, so does His Bride.

Remember what Jesus Himself said about the church? 

"I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Notice what He did not say. He did not say, 

"You will build My Church."

He did not say, 

"Marketing, entertainment, and politics will build My Church."

He simply said, 

"I will build My Church."

Those are not empty words but the promise of the risen Christ. And Christ has never broken a promise.

Just think about the history of the Church. The Rome Empire tried to destroy her. It failed. The corruption of the Middle Ages could not destroy the church. The conflicts of the Reformation could not destroy the church. Atheistic communism could not destroy the church. You see, every generation has had someone announcing that the Church was finished. And get this! 

Every generation has been wrong!

Why?

Because Christ lives.

And that is exactly what Satan cannot stand.

You see, Satan cannot put Christ back into the tomb. He cannot undo the cross. He cannot silence the Gospel. The Devil cannot rob you of your Baptism. He cannot erase the forgiveness that Christ won for you with His own blood.

So what does he do?

He lies.

He points to empty pews. He points to declining numbers. He points to aging congregations. He points to churches that have closed their doors. Then he whispers, 

"See? Christ is losing."  You better do something about it!” 

What Skuballa!  What a pathetic liar; Christ is not losing. Christ has already won. The victory was settled on Good Friday. It was announced on Easter morning. And the Gospel continues to be delivered to you, every single week.  

Think about that for a moment. While naïve and confused Christians are busy trying to reinvent the Church, Christ simply keeps giving His gifts. It all looks so ordinary: preaching, baptizing, and serving bread and wine to sinners. Naïve and confused Christians look at this, though, and shake their heads, saying, 

"It can’t be that simple!”

But that is exactly how Christ has always worked.

Listen up!  Do you know where the Church is? She is wherever Christ is giving away His gifts.

Where the Gospel is preached, there is the Church.

Where sinners are baptized into Christ, there is the Church.

Where Christ speaks His forgiveness through Holy Absolution, there is the Church.

Where His true body and blood are given for the forgiveness of sins, there is the Church.

It really is that simple.

Whether ten people gather around the altar or ten thousand - whether the sanctuary is full or empty - whether the congregation is growing or shrinking - whether the culture applauds or mocks the Church – the Church is still the Church because Christ is still Christ.

So, Baptized Saints, do not fear; the church is not dying. 

Do not let the devil preach this sermon to you. Do not let statistics become your creed. Do not let church gimmicks replace the Sacraments. Repent of fear. Repent of despair. Repent of believing what your eyes see instead of what Christ has promised. Then lift up your heads and rejoice.

Rejoice, for your sins are forgiven.

Rejoice, for your name is written in heaven.

Rejoice, for Christ has conquered sin, death, and the devil.

Rejoice, because salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb.

* * *

Baptized saints, kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall. Cultures come and go. Congregations flourish for a season and decline in another. But Christ remains. His Word endures forever. His Sacraments are still given. His Gospel still creates faith. And wherever Christ continues to preach, baptize, forgive, and feed His people, there is His Church – alive, not dying.

So do not fear.  The Church cannot die because her Lord cannot die.

Christ is risen.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.