When I was a kid the church was something that everyone went to and not just for Easter. Which was like a tall-tell sign during the 80’s of whose parents sold drugs. "That's a 200 shirt and you live in the same projects as me?" Your daycare was at a church, after-school at a church, you were there on Wednesday, twice on Sunday, holiday’s. You even played sports and went to summer programs at church. And all your friends went there so if you didn’t want to go, what were you going to do? Because cartoons didn’t play on Sundays and the karate flicks didn’t come on until after church let out. So, you went and you always showed up with something for the collection plate, a quarter, a penny, Something.
I think people just got tired, burned out. It was an awakening of so many different religions or faiths, the church suffered. Then the drugs and violence and the lack of community outreach from the churches in those communities ended up being detrimental to both the community and the people. The churches in those communities had to close their doors and the community closed their ears and some raised kids that never spent a moment in church. The fraud cases and molestation were just crazy at one point.
Look at current events that take place in and with the church. We have Pastors who curse and spit their own ideologies. We have strong political ties and sometimes the Pastors themselves are running for office which, helps them to reinforce their agendas. You even have people being robbed within the church like Bishop Lamor Whitehead. It's even more craziness that's happening but I won't bore you with all of it.
So, you might ask what may happen to the church in the future? Who knows but God, man will man and God will be God. But what I do know is that church is a people and not a place, so you should always be in a heavenly place here on this earth among the people of god. And if you know that then you know.
