Prepare Your Congregation to Die
By Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage, TGC.
According to a study from Faith Communities Today, 33 percent of the members in the surveyed churches are older than 65. The 2020 census revealed that 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day. Our world is aging, and with it our congregations. As we look on the sea of silver filling our pews, we recognize that many in our congregations are closer to the casket than to the crib.
We’ve all heard the critique of believers “so heavenly minded they’re of no earthly good.” But we must ask, Have we become so earthly minded we’ve lost sight of heavenly good? As our congregations age, leaders must intentionally prepare every member for eternal glory.
First, we need to think about what eternal glory means. According to the apostle Peter, “the God of all grace” has called us to “eternal glory in Christ,” where he will “restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish” us (1 Pet. 5:10). Eternal glory is the glory for which the sufferings of this world prepare us. What great hope we have for the future. Dan Doriani says, “As God one day sets creation right and removes the sin that drives all suffering, he pledges to restore us too.”
Some may ask, since God’s work glorifies us, whether we even need to “prepare” for eternal glory. In one sense, we’ve already inherited this eternal glory if we’re in Christ: “Those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30). And yet our glory’s full fruition awaits the day of Christ’s return: “When Christ who is your life appears, then you will also appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:4).
Because we have the hope of future glory, we can prepare spiritually and practically each day for glory. Let’s consider six ways we can prepare ourselves and those we lead.
1. Talk about death and dying.
We who know that our Savior “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light” (2 Tim. 1:10) should of all people be able to discuss death and dying.
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