I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about why the church in America is struggling. In my experience, it almost always comes down to one thing: the church becomes too focused on itself.
That can take a lot of different forms. Some churches might get caught up in their own internal programs or preferences. Others might deal with scandals or moral failures that, at the core, still trace back to self-focus. But over and over I’ve seen the same pattern. When a church turns inward, it begins to die.
Healthy churches, on the other hand, are outwardly focused. They grow, not just in numbers but in spiritual maturity, when they are driven by their true purpose: to bring people to Jesus.
When I read 2 Peter 3, I’m reminded of this calling. Peter writes about how God is patiently waiting because He wants everyone to be saved. Then he talks about how everything in this world will one day be destroyed, and he asks, “What kind of people ought you to be?” He answers it with two simple but profound calls: to live holy and godly lives, and to speed the coming of the Lord.
Those two things, growing in holiness and helping others find Jesus, sum up the mission of the church. It is discipleship and evangelism working together.
Peter’s phrase “speed his coming” is fascinating. He is saying that God’s people play a role in moving the mission forward by bringing more people into the Kingdom. That’s why we are still here. If you think about it, the only reason Christ hasn’t returned yet is because there are still people He wants to reach.
I sometimes think of it like a bride and groom waiting for their wedding day. They have been apart for a long time, longing for the day they can finally be together. That’s how it is between Christ and His Church. There is a powerful anticipation building, but what keeps that day from coming isn’t that the bride isn’t beautiful enough yet. It’s that there are still more people to invite to the wedding.
Too often, churches start out strong in evangelism. They are reaching their neighbors, caring for their community, and seeing people come to faith. But then, over time, the focus begins to shift. The attention turns inward. We start talking mostly about discipleship, about spiritual growth, about getting ready. Those things are good and necessary. Peter lists them as part of what it means to live holy lives. But when discipleship becomes the only focus, the church starts to stagnate.
A healthy church disciples people to maturity so that they can reach others. An unhealthy church disciples people to comfort so that they can feel good about themselves.
That’s when decline begins.
The mission of the Church is not to sit around polishing ourselves while the world burns. It is to become more like Jesus so we can bring more people to Jesus.
If we want to see our churches come alive again, we have to recapture that outward focus. Live holy, godly lives. And at the same time, do everything we can to speed His coming.
