Spotting the signs of a church heading for trouble
Throughout church history, from the New Testament onwards, there have always been churches in trouble.
From my observations, churches heading for trouble invariably suffer from poor leadership. This does not mean poor Christians, but we need to remember that doctrinal soundness is no guarantee against trouble. Nor is it a character fault in those leading troubled churches, for it is self-evident that many churches heading into difficulty are led by really nice folk who love the Lord Jesus.
Twice the size in six
‘The church where everyone is someone and Jesus Christ is Lord.’ That’s the motto for TCM, but the encouraging observation often heard from the members is: ‘It’s hard to keep track of all the new people!’
Thomas Cooper Memorial Evangelical Baptist Church, known locally as TCM, is located in the centre of the picturesque county city of Lincoln. The church has a long history of evangelical witness in Lincoln and, in common with most long-established churches, has experienced glorious times of feasts and difficult times of famine.