The Truth in Print Vol. 24 Issue 1, Feb. 2018
A Publication of the Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364 (928-782-5058)
Website
Address ~ http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
A seeming problem with “brand loyalty” in
universities associated with Churches of Christ
A recent article “For Christian universities, a cause
for alarm” by Bobby Ross Jr. appeared in the “Christian Chronicle” An
international newspaper for Churches of Christ (Vol. 75, No 1, January 2018).
Here are some interesting statistics given for both churches of Christ in the
U.S. and universities associated with churches of Christ stated as cause for
alarm:
“Since today’s college freshmen were infants, roughly 1,200 Churches of
Christ in the United States have closed, and the number of men, women and
children in the pews nationally has shrunk by 200,000.
In the same 18-year period, universities associated with the fellowship
— from Abilene Christian University in Texas to York College in Nebraska — have
seen a 51 percent decline in students who identify with Churches of
Christ.
Just 2,177 freshmen who enrolled at 14 such universities in fall 2017
gave their religious affiliation as “Church of Christ” — down from 4,411 in
fall 2000, a national survey found.”
And here are some Freshmen stats from the year
2000 to now: “At the start of the 21st century, two out of every three freshmen
at those dozen-plus universities — 66 percent of 6,643 total first-year
students — cited their heritage in Churches of Christ. Now, that figure stands
at two out of every five freshmen — 39 percent of 5,603 total first-year
students — revealed the annual survey conducted by Trace S. Hebert, a higher
education researcher at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.”
This stat shows since 2000 a 10% decline in congregations and adherents
down 12%: “The 2000 edition of “Churches of Christ in the United States,” a
national directory produced by 21st Century Christian, counted 13,155
congregations and 1,645,645 adherents across the nation.
The Nashville-based publisher’s latest online numbers show 11,966
congregations (a 10 percent decline since 2000) and 1,445,856 adherents (down
12 percent).”
They have a problem
with a decline in “brand loyalty” and parents’ commitment
“In previous generations and during much of the 20th century, Church of
Christ affiliated institutions were beneficiaries of a certain type of ‘brand
loyalty’ from C-of-C congregations, church leaders, church members, and alumni
from affiliated institutions who would encourage young people to go to an
affiliated institution of higher education,” Hebert wrote in a recent report to
the Christian universities’ presidents.”
“The C-of-C enrollment data
revealing declining numbers of C-of-C enrollees in affiliated institutions
suggests that the era of brand loyalty has substantively diminished from what
it once was,” added Hebert, associate dean of Lipscomb’s College of Education.”
“Ken Hoppe, president of Crowley’s Ridge College in Paragould, Ark.,
said he has witnessed that declining brand loyalty.”
“Our fellowship’s declining numbers nationwide are having a negative
impact on the number of college-bound freshmen available to attend our
Christian colleges and universities from within our fellowship,” Hoppe said.
“Another trend that we are seeing is a decline in parents’ commitment to send
their college-age children to colleges and universities affiliated with the
Churches of Christ.”
I have no sympathy for them! Do you see any “brand loyalty” in the New
Testament among Christ’s churches that benefits such “affiliated institutions”?
There is no authority for brethren building human institutions that intrude
into the works Christ gave for the local churches.
Concerning the universities: “Hebert’s survey includes 14 U.S.
universities that are regionally accredited, serve traditional-age
undergraduate residential students and are associated with Churches of Christ.
Those universities “are showing
they can hold their own” by recruiting more students from outside Churches of
Christ, Hebert told The Christian Chronicle. While combined freshman enrollment
fell 16 percent since 2000, rising graduate enrollments have helped balance out
overall numbers.”
Florida College, Temple Terrace, Fla. was among the 14 in Hebert’s
survey. An interview with their director of admissions is included in the
survey which can be read in full at the publication’s website. Here are the 14: Abilene Christian University, Abilene TX.,
1906; Crowley’s Ridge College, Paragould, Ark., 1964; Faulkner University,
Montgomery Ala., 1942; Florida College, Temple Terrace, Fla.,1946; Freed-
Hardeman University, Henderson, Tenn., 1869; Harding Univ., Searcy, Ark., 1924;
Lipscomb University, Nashville, Tenn., 1891; Lubbock Christian University,
Lubbock, TX., 1957; Ohio Valley University, Vienna, W.Va., 1960; Oklahoma
Christian University, Oklahoma City, 1950; Pepperdine University, Malibu,
California, 1937; Rochester College, Rochester Hills, Michigan, 1959;
Southwestern Christian College, Terrell, TX., 1948; York College, York, Neb.,
1956.
You’ve seen now what they are alarmed over. They’ll of course, as
stated, be reaching out to more denominationalists and those of other beliefs.
A symbiotic
relationship — it is said that history manifests that the growth of the church
is dependent upon these institutions
Re. article: “The larger concern, as I stated in the report, is what
happens to the church long-term when you don’t have the same number of students
and alumni coming out of these universities, serving and planting churches and
helping grow the population,” Hebert said. “I’m a bit of a history buff … and
as I look back, I see the beneficial, symbiotic relationship between these
institutions and the growth of the church in decades past.”
“That’s no longer the case, or it’s greatly diminished, I should say,
from what it once was,” he added. “It’s going to become even more diminished if
these trends continue in the direction that they’re going. A kingdom-minded
person about Churches of Christ should be very concerned about this.”
“Symbiotic” Am. Her. Dict. def.: Symbiosis 2. A relationship of mutual
benefit or dependence. [Gk. Sumbiosis, companionship , sumbioun, to live
together , sumbios, living together: sun,- syn - + bios, life. Since when brethren is the church of
Jesus Christ, the head of the church, preplanned from eternity and existing by
God’s wisdom dependent upon human institutions of any kind?
When one is newly converted today the Scriptures point them to a local
church not a college. How many times have you read in the N.T. where a new
convert or any Christian was told that they had find themselves a Bible college
and get a “Christian education”? In Acts 9:19 Paul's being with the disciples
at Damascus is like new converts being with the church at Jerusalem in Acts
2:47. The church is the product of Divine wisdom and authority (Jo. 16:13): Act
13:1 “Now there were at Antioch, in the
church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was
called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with
Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” Teachers were found in the church at Antioch.
When one obeyed the gospel in Antioch what organization did they learn was to
be the pillar and support of the truth in community where they lived?
What does Acts 14 show? They established local churches in Lystra, Iconiun and Antioch and
each with its own oversight (Acts 14:21-23). Acts 14:23
shows what organization was the result of their teaching. Each local church was
to be the pillar and support of the truth (I Th. 1:8; I Tim. 3:15). Did our
Lord fail in speaking with heaven’s authority
and not as men speak?
In Eph. 6:1 the phrase “in the Lord” indicates faith in God’s word. Eph.
6:4 addresses fathers: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but
bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” You don’t get a
church of Christ affiliated institution out of that. What organization did the
parents and children who were Christians in Ephesus have for collective worship
and instruction for all Christians there? The local church at Ephesus. To whom
is Ephesians addressed? Eph. 1:1 "to the saints who are at Ephesus and who
are faithful in Christ Jesus:" Children in Ephesus who were Christians had
the collective responsibilities (Eph. 5).
The Private Enterprise
Theory
What about the lip service to the Private Enterprise Theory that the
College is really primarily about Secular Education as a business like any
other business ran by brethren? In the referenced article one of “that”
brotherhood so willingly admits this is about mutual dependence, while our
brethren are known for their lip service paid to secular education being the
primary purpose of these institutions and the worship, edification and
evangelism secondary. As one brother related when coming back from a vacation —
We visited in one church and heard “We’ve got to get a
Florida College preacher here and then things will be Ok.”
That brethren may operate an educational institution which teaches
secular subjects no one questions. In the past brethren opposed the Missionary
Society for trying to the work of the church in area of evangelism. For
generations now our brethren have been taught the thing wrong with Missionary
Society is just churches sending money to it. If only individuals support one
then it will be scriptural. As one brother put it: “Why this change? Because
the support of F.C. demands it!”
Changing God’s plan is not made right because the “individual” is the
one supporting the Human Organization not the local church.
And now in addition “we” have the firmly established Foundation Pattern
involving human organizations that either have or presently are engaged in the
support of churches, evangelism, support of preachers,
providing worship and edification, and engaged in benevolence to needy saints.
Do not support them (cf. 2 Jo. 9).
Valley Church of Christ
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364
(928) 782-5058 ~
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
Sunday Services – Classes ~10:00;
Assembly 10:50 am; Evening: 6:00 pm.
Wednesday evening – 7:00 pm
To learn more call, visit or visit our website at:
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com