Are a multitude of programs in the church beneficial or detrimental to the faith community?

In this video, Paul Washer observes that there has been a trend of churches in America introducing numerous programs, many of which have failed due to a lack of grounding in the Word of God and leadership by unqualified individuals. He warns against a reactionary swing to the other extreme, where churches have minimal programs, no youth groups, or discipleship programs. Washer proposes a balanced approach that adheres to Scripture, such as expository preaching and teaching parents to instruct their own children in the faith.

In addition to these, Washer believes that the church can serve in providing a community for its members, especially in this time of pervasive corruption. He emphasizes the importance of creating a wholesome space for young people to gather and interact and for parents, children, and adults to find community. He cautions against an overreaction against programs, as they can serve as a vital link between the church service and the home, especially for the younger generation.

2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV): "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

A plethora of programs in the church probably unwise. But let me say this. So you know, I'm old, so I've seen Christianity for a long time. So in America you had program after program after program in churches and they failed, failed, failed. And most of them failed because they were not word-based and they were not taught by qualified people.

They were not led by qualified people. So then you have this swing, not to the truth, but maybe to another extreme, where we're going to have two sermons Every week, no youth group, no young people, no program of discipleship, nothing. And well, that's not necessarily necessary. There's somewhere in the middle, There is recognizing, first of all, let's do what scripture commands. So it's expository preaching.

It's also teaching fathers and mothers to teach their own children. That's extremely important. Not enough time is invested in that. But then, there are things I believe the church can do. Throughout history the church has helped with catechizing children.

It has helped with teaching people through all the stages of their life. We've reached a time where our young people can almost go, cannot go anywhere. There's no place to go where there's not corruption, vile corruption. And so I believe that the church needs to provide something of a community also, and a place where young people can also gather and interact with one another, and there ought to be the word of God, word of God, but we have also got to provide communities for parents, for children, for adults, for adolescents, whatever you want. We've got to realize we live in a world now where our children, if we're not careful, are going to exist for 18 years in only two places, a church service and a house.

And so we have to be careful we don't overreact against programs.