The Church’s Silence: How the Abdication of Leadership Led to Spiritual Decay - We Are The Watchmen Weekly, January 4, 2025
This Week, We Look At Stories From Buffalo & Atlanta About Churches Shutting Down... & The REAL Reason Why - Read, Share, & Subscribe - WeAreTheWatchmen.org
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The decline of church attendance in America is not merely a passing trend—it’s a profound spiritual crisis that speaks directly to the Church’s failure to uphold its leadership role in society.
As seen in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, churches are closing, and attendance continues to dwindle.
Father Bryan Zielenieski, who is leading the diocese’s efforts for renewal, shared that “we essentially went to half of what we used to back in the early 2000s.”
He anticipates the closure of 70 more churches in the near future, underscoring the deepening crisis.
This pattern is not just about a shrinking congregation; it’s a reflection of the Church’s abdication of its responsibility to lead, disciple, and transform society in a time when moral guidance and truth are desperately needed.
The Church’s Role in Society and Its Impact on Culture
The Church has always been intended to be the guiding light of society, shaping its values and morals.
Its role is not just to serve its members but to influence the world around it, standing firm in the Father’s truth and challenging the forces of sin and evil.
However, over the years, the Church has allowed itself to slip into the background, failing to engage the culture in meaningful ways. Father Zielenieski highlighted that the churches in the diocese today are baptizing fewer than one person a month, and "59% of them are spending more than they take in."
Scripture makes it clear that the Church is meant to be a salt and light to the world, standing as a beacon of righteousness. Matthew 5:13-16 commands the Church to be both the salt of the earth and the light of the world:
"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Ye are the light of the world.
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
When the Church fails to uphold the Father’s truth, its influence on society wanes, and the culture loses its moral compass. The Church’s silence in the face of growing secularism, materialism, and moral decay has created a vacuum, allowing evil to flourish unchecked.
The Father never intended for His Church to retreat from the world; He called it to be the salt that preserves and the light that guides, standing firm in truth and calling the world to repentance.
The Fall of Faith and the Rise of Secularism
Father Zielenieski pointed out the staggering decline in church membership over the decades.
In the 1940s, nearly 80% of Americans said they belonged to a place of worship. Today, that number has fallen to 45%. More alarmingly, only 32% of Americans attend church weekly.
This decline is not merely a result of generational change; it speaks to the Church’s failure to boldly confront the culture and fulfill its mission.
Hebrews 10:24-25 encourages believers to remain faithful to gathering and to encourage one another:
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
The failure to gather, disciple, and engage in outreach has contributed to the erosion of faith across the country. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 offers a sobering warning of a time when people would no longer endure sound doctrine but would seek out teachers who only tell them what they want to hear:
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
Instead of standing firm in biblical truth, the Church has too often sought to appease the culture, diluting the message of the gospel to maintain relevance.
The Church’s Failure and the Cultural Consequences
The article also reveals the disturbing trend of churches being repurposed for secular uses.
A Methodist church in Atlanta, once home to a thriving congregation, was sold to a luxury developer and converted into expensive condos.
Some of the oldest churches in the world have been turned into bars or nightclubs.
These spaces, once dedicated to the worship of the Father, have become instruments for promoting sin, indulgence, and idolatry. Luke 11:24-26 warns about the consequences of leaving a house—spiritually speaking—empty:
"When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first."
We’ll wrap up, next.
Pulling It Together: The Church Must Stand Firm
The decline in the Church’s influence and the rise of evil are inter-connected.
When the Church abdicates its role as the moral and spiritual leader of society, evil flourishes. But there is still hope for revival if the Church will repent, return to the Father’s Word, and stand firm on the truth. Ephesians 5:15-16 calls believers to walk in wisdom, redeeming the time:
"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
It is time for the Church to rise up, redeem the time, and fulfill its calling to be the salt and light of the world.
WE are the Watchmen, and we must not remain silent in these dark times.
WE need to stand firm in the Father’s truth, shining His light into the darkness, and boldly proclaiming the gospel to a world that desperately needs it.
The Father’s Word is powerful and unchanging, and through it, we can see true renewal, hope, and righteousness restored in a world that desperately needs the light.
We are the Watchmen, and we will not remain silent as the enemy seeks to redefine the Father’s Word to fit the culture. Stand firm, hold fast to the truth, and expose the lies that are creeping into the church. Now is the time to fight for the faith and protect the next generation from the lies of the devil.
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