I consider that the chief dangers confronting the coming century will be religion without the Holy Spirit, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell—William Booth (1829-1912).

Christianity, at its core, is an evangelical religion. The Church’s dual role of evangelising herself as a community of believers and evangelising the world – sent to witness is a missional feature of modern Christianity. In an age where the power and influence of the modern Church have waned and weakened over time, efforts at evangelising the culture are failing, and the Church is declining. Evangelism is more about abundant life in Christ, whereas life is more than the Church and its institutional frameworks. What keeps the faithful connected is not the workings and duties of the institution that revolve around church hierarchy, arrangement, and administration. The outworking of the Holy Spirit and the assurance of their salvation in Christ kept the faithful maturing, increasing daily, and connected. Church as institutional failure where Evangelism fails is pro-personnel, more concerned and connected with the process that governs the operations of the church structure and not for the salvation of souls. Sadly, Evangelism fails because the Church is an institutional failure that is ‘reliant on the very same faithful they are meant to minister to and in some respects provide for.’

Evangelism in a culture that was once Christian but has now turned away from it is not just a ‘misdiagnosis’. It demands a call for the reawakening of every dry bone. The Church’s institutional dimension in its progressive movement towards a secular direction, directly and indirectly, weakens the evangelical nature of the faith. Beyond the fact that the secular culture is shaped by institutions where religious truisms have, in a sense, been instilled into the peoples’ consciousness, Evangelism becomes a challenge as there is no need to go out and preach the word of God.

The true Church is a spiritual organism—a body, not an earthly organisation or institution (Romans 12:4-5). The Church as institutional failure where Evangelism fails reminds us of the extrabiblical man-made organisation that attempts to help the true Church of Jesus Christ. It is a true institution in every sense of the word; however, it is difficult for the institutional Church to grow beyond the religious level of the specific institution and its leadership. Evangelism as a sacred duty of the Church is not a mere religious or institutional obligation. Effective Evangelism is not about what we say, it is about how we live as salt and light of the world. Effectively communicating the gospel while embodying the essence of Jesus’ teaching is counter-cultural to the Church’s institutional and political dimensions. Evangelism fails when the gospel’s unshakable truth is censored by the Church’s institutional, charity status, and political dimensions.

‘Church as institutional failure’ where Evangelism fails express and imagine the gospel as a process rather than a Person. Doctrine is vital, but the Church’s institutional worldview is a failure, except Jesus is offered to people. ‘Church as institutional failure’ where Evangelism fails, offers courses and creeds more attractive than Jesus. The institutional church, relatively run by a small ‘professional’ group of individuals, is shaped by different characteristics/ideologies and does things to please the system rather than for the salvation of souls. It is an institution free to take direction, and the more even loosely holding to Scripture, the greater the possibility of conflict and abuse. ‘Church as institutional failure,’ where Evangelism fails and discipleship declines, does not intentionally think about how people will become mature as Christians in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The history of the Church points to the idea of institutionalism to the simplicity of the Church. Webster’s Dictionary defines “institution” as “an organisation or establishment devoted to promoting a cause or program, especially one of public, educational, or charitable character.” The “church” is a collective composed of individuals. The missional Church is not an institution but a community of individual believers who work and walk together. God designed the Church to multiply, flourish, and function as a community of believers, not a static institution. The institutional structure is pushing the Church into extinction just as the world is experiencing increasing family and generational extinction with attacks on Christian homes and marriages.

Rev Gordon Newton aptly writes that ‘the Church is not an institution but the People of God – the Body of Christ, called to be His hands and feet and ears in the world.’ Institutions become powerful and are often concerned with preserving their status and influence. Jesus challenged the religious institutions of His day over their concern for self-preservation. He cleared the temple of those transacting businesses that resonate with other forbidding activities and practices. Jesus accused the Sadducees (i.e., the priests) of misunderstanding basic doctrine and basic theology. Church is an institutional failure where Evangelism fails, and discipleship declines because of a lack of understanding and power of resurrection. Church, as an institutional failure, operates in error because they do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. In essence, though powerful, church institutions are set up to decline the Church for lack of understanding and knowledge of the resurrection power. The pride that shapes and controls the church institution accounts for the lack of listening well and obeying God’s Word.

Jesus challenged the church institution of His days of being hypocritical in many ways against their own prescribed rules. Jesus accused them, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing, but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? (Matt 23: 13-19).

‘Church as institutional failure’ where Evangelism fails is under the pretence of love, tolerance and unity – refuse to recognise and speak out against false behaviour according to God’s Word (Gal 1:6-7; 2Jn 1:9). ‘Church as institutional failure’ where Evangelism fails is full of greed and self-indulgence. Church as institutional failure ‘are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside, you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside, you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness (Matt 23: 27-28). Church as institutional failure where Evangelism fails is good in building monuments, museums – tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. However, it continues to ignore the prophets of God. Church as institutional failure where Evangelism fails is compared to snakes and brood of vipers without any other option of condemnation to hell except, they REPENT.