What must a church do in order to be spiritual? Here is one list.

1. There must only be a 10% difference between the number in attendance for Bible study and the number present in Sunday morning worship. The same is true between Sunday AM and PM.

2. There must be a bus ministry. No less than 25% of the membership must be involved in this ministry.

3. 25% of the attendance must be non-member children and adults who have been brought in on buses.

4. There will be no less than 3 worship services on Sunday.

5. The congregation must baptize no less than what equals 45% of its membership each year.

6. Every member will bring a non-member each Sunday.

7. Each member will teach and baptize no less than one person within two months after his conversion.

8. Each member is required to teach and baptize no less than one person each year after that.

9. All members who have wilfully neglected the assembly over a three week period will be dropped from the rolls.

10. Those members who have been dropped from the rolls must not only repent before the whole church, but make up their contribution as part of their repentance.

11. Each working member shall give 35% of his gross salary to the church.

12. Every child, between the ages of 16-19, shall be supported by his family in a one month mission effort for four years. one mission meeting must be outside the United States.

13. Each member shall work no less than 4 hours each week in door to door work.

14. Each family shall be engaged in no less than 1 Bible study each week.

15. Each family shall take in a homeless person for one month out of each year.

16. No less than 60% of the assembly will respond with an 'Amen" when a point is made by the speaker.

Would you consider these 16 items essential before the congregation you are a member of is considered spiritual? Most of us would consider these RULES man-made--not God ordained (Matthew 18:18; 15:9). Although most of us do not have a list like the one above, we do have one, don't we? We are just as adamant in defending our list as another might defend the one above. We are just as bewildered by those who do not want to follow our list as someone is shocked that the above one is not accepted.

If we came across a congregation that did not measure up to OUR list, would we not consider it less than SOUND? If so, why should we not be obligated to adopt the above list?

Just because someone thinks an action is spiritual and-cannot understand why others don't agree, does that make it such? Just because something has been practiced for years, does that mean it must be continued for one to be spiritual? What if the action no longer becomes expedient? What if something else is more practical? Who should determine what a congregation does--it or another congregation?