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1. Never invite anyone to church. If this suggestion seems too severe, just procrastinate. Pursue promises to promote the cause of Christ, not with promptness, but with
postponement.
Excuses for such inaction come easy, such as these: "I was attacked by a fit of shyness." "I didn't want to be considered a fanatic." "My boss doesn't like Christians, so what could I do?"
2. If some new people come to church anyway, ignore them.You can sit by them, but don't speak to them. Sing by them, but don't offer to share your hymnbook.
When the church service is over,
immediately turn your back on them and begin to talk with another church member.
If you suffer an attack of conscience, you can usually overcome this by assuring
yourself that someone else will be visitor-friendly.
If a visitor appears to want to speak to the pastor as he or she leaves the church, engage the pastor in an extended conversation. Most visitors will soon grow weary and will leave by another door.
3. If you are gregarious by nature and find it impossible not to greet a
visitor, be sure not to speak kindly about the church or anyone in it.
Tell the visitor about any troubles there are in the choir or among the
officers.
Mention that the women's or men's group is a clique (unless of
course you are a member of the group) and that you wouldn't go if they
paid you.
4. During the week drink like it is going out of style, curse like an
R-rated movie, and spread lies as if you invented gossip.
Nothing drives people away from the church and Christ like Christians who
don't act like Christians.
Work hard at making at least one person every
day comment, "If he (she) is a Christian, I'm not interested."
5. Avoid an active prayer life as if it were the plague.
Prayer evokes the presence of the Holy Spirit and can cause evangelistic zeal.
An occasional prayer in a time of need is acceptable, but anything
beyond this can cause things to get out of control.
6. Always refuse any opportunity for service to your church--or say "Yes" even though you know you will never follow through.
These kinds of actions can keep the work of any church body at a high
level of inefficiency.
If they are practiced with persistence and consistency, a church may even have to close its doors.
Or if this does not bring about a complete collapse, it will cause at the least a lot of
limping.
And the best thing about this is that a few people are left trying to do everything, which produces jealousy as many begin to complain that "a few people are running the church." It is a wonderful two-edged sword.
7. Memorize certain classic clichés that serve as excuses, and repeat
them every time there is even the smallest opportunity: "God doesn't expect you to be in church every time the door opens."
"You can't love everyone; God certainly understands that." "It's the preacher's job to go out and get new members. That's what we pay him for." (There are others, but these are good starters.)
8. Avoid being open-minded.
Narrow-mindedness has a very high success rate at driving people away
from the church. If someone does not agree with you 100 percent, strike him or her off your list. Decide that certain men and women are morons or imbeciles.
Have no patience with anyone who is struggling toward faith and asks questions. Believe that they are only trying to be difficult.
9. When the offering plate is passed, be sure you are one of those responsible for a poorly paid preacher, a building in need of repair, a lack of necessary supplies, etc.
It is amazing how this can set in motion a growing pessimism that will spread throughout the entire congregation. All it took was your not carrying your share of the load.
10. Definitely complain about the minister's faults and don’t mention any of his or her virtues.
This is extremely important, and an occasional complaint will not do. It
really isn't difficult.
All the pastor's sermons will not be to your discriminating taste.
(If you find yourself feeling appreciative of his or her efforts, a little lukewarmness can soon dampen any enthusiasm.) And
be patient.
Soon your preacher will say or do the wrong thing (preachers
are, after all, human). He or she will lose his/her temper with Mr. Jones or fail to call on Mrs. Brown.
What is good about this is that it will divide the congregation into "pros" and "cons."
These rules for helping a church and any evangelistic program it may have, to self-destruct are gleanings from the ages. They have been tried and found to work by countless thousands, perhaps even millions. The number of folks who have been driven from the church and the throne of grace by
such actions are endless.
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A new Series on PRAYER has begun.
To view an abundance of unusual stories and comments by Neil
Wyrick go to his other blog ONE A DAY, YOUR SPIRITUAL VITAMINS
Click on the following URL http://oneadayyourspiritualvitamins.blogspot.com/
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