PASSIONATELY DYING - THE CHURCH FATHERS WITHOUT FORMATION
Author: Nehemiah Muhiri Mahulo Sr.
Date: June 11th, 2026
INTRODUCTION
The 21st Century has been mother to some of the most mind-bending inventions, activities, medicine, relationships, philosophy, and most importantly, theology. “Emancipated” Theology has always been the catalyst for cultural revolution. From medieval times till now, we have seen how changes in the church and its philosophy have affected the trajectory of the world. Companies, Conglomerates, schools, universities, and Families are all radically affected when theology changes, even if it is just swayed slightly. These seemingly small changes (“and some which are just blatantly radical”) are not by mistake or accident. The Bible teaches us that once we become Christians, we join a battle with the flesh, the devil, and the world. We have been made aware of the days when the Holy Spirit was under attack, where things were being attributed to Him that are contrary to scripture. We have seen the assault on Jesus Christ and His character. The most grievous of all is the assault on the character of God and his sovereignty, which is usually the first thing to go when the church does not have a firm stance on its Theology. In this article series, we are going to be looking at 8 things that are still going on today, especially in contemporary non-denominational churches, things fatal to the Christian, and when subconsciously embraced, they become death to the church, yet seemingly invisible to the church. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:5 that a day is coming when wolves will be in sheep's clothing. These wolves are fake pastors and elders in the church, inflicting small but critical errors. You might ask what day Jesus is talking about. Well, that day is here. In this article, we will be looking at the role of the congregation in this pandemonium.
FATHERS WITHOUT FORMATION
It goes without saying that there is a lack of discipleship in most churches right now. There is no clear guideline to produce a certain kind of Christian. Many youth start deviating from the church as they get into their senior year of college. The secular world has unfortunately done a good job in developing a pathway towards becoming the man or woman they desire, a man or woman who fits into their wants and needs. Most churches have left the growth of their youth to chance; they have become comfortable with having gaps in their growth. It is important for young people to grow in all areas: spiritual, physical, psychological, and social.
The spiritual life of any young person should be intentionally nurtured and fed; this can never be left to chance. Am sure most of us have encountered Christians who seem to have basic gaps in their theology. These are not complicated matters of Doctrine but basic matters such as the lordship of Christ, the Trinity, and the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is these same uninformed people who have amassed a great following on media channels and are leading many astray. It is truly a sad situation of the blind leading the blind. A biblical church takes great care of the edification of all its young people, especially on matters of doctrine.
Now, it is very evident that youth with no discipleship will grow up leading many astray and away from true doctrine, so why do churches keep slacking on this very issue of discipleship? Well, I've taken time to think about this, and I have come to the conclusion that even as some churches are completely unaware of what is happening, some churches are doing this intentionally in order to not to have biblical disciples but dependants. Dependants in the church will not question you; they will not raise a hand against your instructions, but biblical disciples will.
The fear of many pastors and churches that practice heresy of doctrine and conduct is that one of their own will call them out. They would rather raise young Christians under a carefully crafted gospel that leads to dependency. There are many churches succumbing to the pressures of the world, and some have blatantly disregarded the Bible. One may ask at that point, why do you still meet under the guise of a church? At that point, it is more prudent and honest to come before the church and say we are no longer a church but just an organization that meets every Sunday from 10 pm to 12 pm with a time for donations. This is what many churches have become, and this is where many churches are heading.
Accountability within the church through internal members has been weakened by the intentional partial or, in some cases, complete removal of the True, Hot teaching of the Bible. Instead of bible study during the week, many churches have resorted to continuous picnics and game nights. Now, there is nothing wrong with picnics and game nights, but if that's all the church is about, the priorities have been inverted. As much as social church gatherings are beautiful, they should not replace Bible study, nor should they replace the nurturing and discipleship many need. This has to be more intentional than throwing balls on Sunday afternoon, again, nothing wrong with that in itself. One of the problems Jesus had with the Pharisees was that they had become masters in majoring in minors. They were very scrupulous on the minor details of the law but very blind to the important matters of the law. This can be likened to many current churches. How many picnics did we do this month? How many marriage park walks did we do this month? These things are good, but are not the heart of the matter. True biblical discipleship requires intentional edification and correction, not just normal conversations but targeted discussions revealing the deeper things of God.
If you are an Elder or a member of a church where you see this occurring, here are some suggestions:
Teach people to study the bible for themselves, not to believe something coz the pastor said so, but because the bible says so.
Create an environments that welcome theological questions rather than an occultic allergy to questions
Move from sermon consumption to scriptural learning, Q&A after service, bible study groups, and community groups
Ensure every believer knows they are a minister; it is not just the pastor. Equip them for ministry
Decentralize spiritual authority, remove the notion that you need “me” to hear from God, and teach how to test impressions biblically
Model transparency from the church leadership, and remove the notion of untouchable authorities
Encourage everyone to have personal devotion
Move from celebrating attendance to the maturity of your current congregation.
