What we mean by Church Reform is that individual Christians, individual Christian families and local churches commit themselves to obeying Christ’s commands in Scripture (“teaching them to obey“ - Matthews 28:20a ) in every area of life and church life.

It is not merely reform in theology or adopting Reformed Theology (Calvinism). If anything, Christians and church leaders need to know Scripture directly, and then on the basis of careful exegesis (historical, grammatical and genre-specific interpretation of authorial intent), form their theological paradigm. On the basis on Scripture-centered theology, their lives should change accordingly.

Because Scripture is the anchor of our worldview and conscience. When the church drifts from the Word, our instincts, decisions, and even our character are shaped more by culture than by Christ. Throughout history—from the early church to the Reformation—renewal always began by recovering devotion to God’s Word. Reform today must be the same: every believer reading, interpreting, thinking, and applying Scripture in daily life, so that together as a spiritual family we reflect Jesus in our values, priorities, and witness to the world.

The first step is to return back to what the New Testament demonstrates and teaches as the prescribed principle (and by deduction, method) of discipleship which is life-on-life (personalized, individual) discipleship via relationship. The definitions below highlight the difference in the modern program-centered paradigm and life-on-life discipleship:

Definition of a church program: A structured and organized church activity designed to deliver biblical content, typically characterized by fixed schedules and standardized curriculum often with limited personalization for the unique life, context or spiritual journey of each participant.

What is life-on-life discipleship?  Life-on-life discipleship is the modeling, teaching and guidance of a Christian in his/her lifelong faith and obedience to Jesus’ commands through a relationship with a more mature Christian.

If programs are preventing us from achieving Life-on-Life discipleship, then perhaps simplifying or removing some programs may be necessary. Methods that do not contribute to this goal or even hinder this goal should be removed.

The fundamental problem is worldliness which is a pattern of thinking (worldview), priorities (heart) and practices (actions) in conformity to the world and in conflict or contradiction to what is taught in God's Word.

Concretely speaking, we see this in many examples today:

1. Christian compromising physical boundaries before marriage

2. Christians marrying non-Christians

3. Materialism - an preoccupation with stuff and anxiety over finances leading to an absence of generous financial giving and commitment to local church ministries

4. Work ethics issues (especially among younger people)

5. Lack of integrity in speech - slander, gossip, angry speech, online flaming, lying and not keeping promises

6. Parents relying on church children’s program and Christian school to raise their kids in the Lord rather than taking personal responsibility (Eph 6:4)

7. Ideologies capturing minds and hearts of young people (politics or Critical Race Theory) rather than letting the Bible shape our worldview/values and the plight of lost souls instill urgency in our hearts for lost people.

I believe church ministries and Sunday services today are mainly characterized by a program. A church program is a structured and organized church activity designed to deliver biblical content, typically characterized by fixed schedules and standardized curriculum often with limited personalization for the unique life, context or spiritual journey of each participant.

Instead, we need to put our time and resources on life-on-life discipleship. 
Life-on-life discipleship is the modeling, teaching and guidance of a Christian in his/her lifelong faith and obedience to Jesus’ commands through a relationship with a more mature Christian.

Typical church programs are structured for efficiency and scalability, with set schedules and standardized curriculum. While they can deliver biblical content, they often lack personalization and may even draw resources away from genuine discipleship. By contrast, life-on-life discipleship is highly relational and tailored—it means walking with each believer over a lifetime, modeling, teaching, and guiding them in obedience to Christ. This approach is far more demanding, but it reflects the biblical pattern of forming disciples in the context of real relationships, not just through one-size-fits-all programs.

No. We want to see reform in local churches of all denominations. As long as a denomination or a church is bible-believing, even if it struggles with many worldly practices, reforming existing churches is the proper strategy since a wholesale overhaul will be too disruptive and divisive to the congregation. What this means is that we need biblically qualified local church leaders (pastors and elders) functioning as shepherds who initiate discipleship relationships with church members to guide them.

In order to preserve Christian love, all those with this vision of Church Reform must exercise humility and love even if there is disagreement about the need, principles and methods of Church Reform.

Church leaders are primarily responsible for Church Reform in their local church. Issues are prevalent that spring from leaders that are unqualified according to 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Fundamentally, the lack of qualified leaders is due to a lack of life-on-life discipleship since there’s little interpersonal shepherding put towards maturing disciples who’ll eventually be ready to be pastors or elders (biblical elders are shepherds, not just “board members”).

Members need to pray for church reform and personally commit themselves to the Bible, effortful obedience to Christ’s commands, the fellowship of the local church, evangelism and prayer. Also, they can initiate conversations with their church leaders in respectful ways to communicate this need of Church Reform.

1) We must never add to the gospel of salvation which is only by grace alone through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus alone (in Jesus’ death and resurrection) nor add to what the Bible teaches as requirements of obedience for believers.

2) There is a character issue today that pins any teaching on Christians needing to obey as legalism. This is a grave and dangerous error since Jesus was the one who demanded His disciples to obey Him (“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” Luke 6:46). Real legalism commit the above errors (#1), but what we are proposing is simple obedience to Christ’s commands and adherence to the New Testament teachings of what the church should be.

3) Church reformers must exercise humility and love even if there is misunderstanding, resistance or disagreement towards the need, principles and methods of church reform.

1) Personally repent of any known sin or commission and omission (including mispriorities in your life) and seek to obey Jesus and His priorities today.

2) Pray for your leaders and church to repent and turn back to Scripture.

3) Respectfully speak with your leaders about these concrete areas of church reform. You can even share the Church Reform Today website and YouTube channel.

4) Commit yourself to building up brothers and sisters in Scripture and in relational discipleship of younger believers. The Lord will use you to build up the church family and some of you may become future church leaders to lead the church towards Church Reform.

A danger of missions is to build church communities that are a mile wide (lots of converts) and an inch deep (lack of spiritual maturity in doctrine and life). This is in fact what has happened in the North American Church as churches have followed the world’s industrialization (programming) by making the church into programs geared towards scalability rather than training quality disciples. Along the way, we have also picked up many worldly practices such as raising up celebrity pastors, emphasizing pragmatic, sensory-stimulating methods that replace the centrality of the Bible, programmized ministry rather than emphasize individual discipleship and meaningful relationships between brothers and sisters, and reliance on our technique rather than devoting ourselves to prayer for God to bring true converts and mature His people.

As a result, even when we plant new churches locally or on the mission field, we end up duplicating the same worldly practices and culture in new local churches. This is a huge part of why there is much theological, moral and spiritual compromise in the church today; the bottom line is that Christians are not being shepherded. They receive religious services and, if they are blessed, a good sermon on Sunday, but that does not have tangible impact on most believers’ lives due to a lack of weekly accountability and a lack of more input in the spiritual means of grace (Word, prayer, fellowship etc.) from Monday to Saturday.

“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”  - Hebrews 3:13 

“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts…”  - Acts 2:46 

You can access the Church Reform Today YouTube channel to gain more insights that may help you reform your local church.

You can also connect with Pastor James via the “Connect” page for further support.