The Prodigal Church Is Coming to Its Senses

So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. —Luke 15:20, NLT

Jesus’ story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32) is one of the most discussed illustrative parables in all Scripture. Tens of thousands of sermons have been built on this tale of youthful mistakes, needless misfortune, enduring love, and incredible grace. You have probably heard a few of them yourself. You may have even told the story to someone who had fallen into sin and was ashamed of returning to God for forgiveness. What a story it is!

We call him the prodigal because of his reckless, wasteful spending. His story resonates with most of us because we have all been guilty of not recognizing how good the love of the Father is. We know what it is to have taken His blessings for granted, wasting time and resources on self-serving endeavors that leave us empty and regretful. All of us have been blessed by having a heavenly Father whose love for us has never been swayed by the foolishness of our decisions.

As we look at the story of the wayward son, we see parallels to the modern church. There are many strong, truth-preaching churches that are experiencing growth and revival; there is also a disturbing number that have followed the path of the prodigal. Entire denominations have departed from the tried-and-true paths and wandered far from home, becoming unrecognizable shells of their storied histories.

Those leading the prodigal church have demanded the reins of historically conservative biblical churches. A generation arose that has little regard for the people who labored so diligently to build the platforms on which they now stand. For them any semblance of the past is antiquated and to be dismissed. They look down on biblical inerrancy, dismiss orthodox views of sin and salvation, and even scoff at the need for evangelizing the lost. Rather than being a place where believers can hear the gospel, be strengthened by Christian fellowship, and be discipled by sound teaching, the prodigal church focuses on acceptance and affirmation, prioritizing social justice and promoting secular progressive theories. Deceived by the call of the far country—the appeal of being palatable to the world—they’ve stepped out of the Father’s gate of truth and descended the path of relativism toward destruction.

The prodigalizing of church has led to incredible loss in physical terms as well. While we know the kingdom of God is not measured in buildings, acres, or bank accounts, these metrics are another measure of the progressive Christian movement’s gutting of the church. Take a moment and check out what has happened to the “seeker-sensitive” church. This Sunday, click on the live stream of the gay-affirming mainline church in your town. They probably own one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, sitting at one of the most desirable locations. Yet their pews are empty.

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Church that does not challenge believers is as pointless as a gym where no exercise is allowed. What
is the point of membership? When you remove the transformative power of the gospel, Christianity loses
its appeal. When our faith becomes centered on improving the temporal well-being of society, we become, as Paul said, people who have hope only in this life and are miserable as a result. Organizations
that once fed the spirit and changed the eternal trajectory of the soul have largely abandoned that work, and people can tell the difference.

The progressive church finds itself in a terrible predicament. After years of aligning with God-hating
ideologies and self-serving worldviews, these churches are slowly dying. They seem shocked that people whose movements are built on personal autonomy, sexual perversion, and utopian fantasies would not see a church’s pro-LGBT flag or pro-transgender sermon and come running in to bend the knee to Christ. The accumulated resources of generations have been squandered in an attempt to align with anti-God
forces—and very few souls have been won.

The traditional, long-standing members of these churches are left with little choice. They love their churches, including the property, buildings, and fixtures they poured so much into developing. They also see that their beloved churches have left them. Many feel alienated. As they share their concerns, the churches experience schism and, ultimately, exodus. Cities across the Western world are now awash in beautiful, empty buildings where mere handfuls still gather—unless they have not already sold the properties to bars, clubs, or restaurants.

The prodigal, progressive church is responsible for the theft of millions of dollars from hardworking saints. Even more serious, it is responsible for the destruction of millions of souls who have been deceived and many more who have not heard the gospel because of their pastors’ dereliction. For many of these churches, it seems there is no positive change coming. For those misled souls, however, there is good news.

The prodigal church does not describe the entire church. Yes, there are many who have abandoned truth.
There are cowards who fill pulpits and lead men and women to destruction because they are afraid to
challenge them with a call to repentance. There are certainly denominations, institutions, and movements
that have become apostate. But there are also some who are faithful.

A Stirring in the Mud

Something is happening in the church. There is a stirring of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of men and women. While some have been muzzled by fear, there is also a growing number of bold truth speakers who are not embarrassed by their faith. While you may see online videos of Christians explaining away the hard texts of the Bible, there is probably a biblically sound church within driving distance of your
home. Chances are it is one of the only churches growing in your town. They have smelled the stench of where the church has gone and are refusing to let it remain wallowing in the mud.

As I travel the country speaking, engaging, and meeting with leaders, my heart has become encouraged.
I am meeting more and more church leaders and laity who, like the prodigal, have looked around and realized that the church has been led somewhere it does not belong. We are the truth people, the life-changing gospel people, the Jesus-will-set-you-free people. These Christians recognize that, and they are changing their world.

When the prodigal son realized how far he had fallen, he immediately began to take steps toward the father’s house. He knew that the place he was in did not match the way he had been raised. He recognized just how wasteful he had been, and he could not get home fast enough.

We see that same thing happening in the church. Years of polite, Christian-lite, diet religion has sapped the energy from the church. It has emptied pews, stolen the power from preaching, and left altars barren.
Furthermore, it has decimated institutions in our society.

Without a grounded belief in God, Western society does not work. You cannot expect those who do not
know God to steward properly the freedoms we’ve enjoyed. Without God’s natural created order, civilization cannot last. Thus, we have seen the erosion of family, morality, and society happening at a record pace. This is made possible only because of the anemic pulpits that have too long steered our church.

When a society decides that a mother and father raising their children together in a stable, traditional home is no longer necessary, they are deluded. Statistics are clear: This is the absolute best setting in which a child can be raised. The only reason we would reject that truth is because of the moral implications that come along with it. In a world where everything is relative, we can no longer even say that one situation is better than another. That is foolish and destructive. If I am in the middle of a hurricane on the ocean, I am sure an aircraft carrier is a better vessel than a pool float. Yet if someone speaks of what is best for children, they are called judgmental and antiquated. If the pulpit had done its job, this would not be the case.

When we normalize behaviors outside God’s norm, we undermine the very fabric of society. When a grown man wants to dress like a seminude woman and dance in front of children, that is not normal. If a child decides they are an animal, a sane society does not buy them a tail and a collar; we get them to a counselor. When a man wants to box a woman, we tell him to fight the men or go home. No functioning society can spend its resources to promote and pursue the delusions of every perversion that comes long
without disrupting the pillars on which we stand. Again, much of the fault for our decay lies in the pulpit. It is up to the church to declare truth, not to wait for secular researchers or social commentators to approve our position. Let God’s Word be true, and every man a liar.

But something good is happening in the world. People are beginning to awaken to the reality that we’ve been living in absurdity, and they are looking for a place to get answers. The only place with viable answers is the Christ-honoring, Bible-teaching church. Even the New York Post has acknowledged a notable influx of young people coming into the church.1 In a world where reality seems like shifting sand, where every article may be written by AI and every video could be a deepfake, people are crying out for something real, something solid. The church and God’s Word have what they need, if we are bold enough
to give it to them.

One of the biggest shifts in the church is happening among men. For some time the church has been led by women. I’m not talking about who has the title of pastor or who can be appointed to organizational leadership; I am referring to the actual happenings at the local church. It has been women who prayed, women who were most involved in worship, and women who carried the fire of the Holy Spirit. While most congregations may have had a few men with hearts for God, many were going through the motions, if that much.

For too long the church has been a church without men, and when they were there, many of them were so emasculated that the average man would run from such a faith. Men need a challenge—they need something bold, they need something to conquer—and Christianity was telling them to be polite, to affirm what they knew was not true, and to be nice at all costs, no matter how bad things got. Men did not want this. It did not resonate with them. It failed to connect with their God-given design and left their spirits unstirred. So they left the church in droves.

This is changing. Men have begun to recognize that the world around them is falling apart. They see their
children walking in confusion and recognize it’s their job to do something about it. Some have turned to secular voices for guidance in everything from raising children to making sense of the times, but these voices can only do so much. These men need something more. They need God—and they are starting to find Him.

The feminist movement took the Western world by storm. Someone convinced women that they had been held back far too long by the norms of society. The patriarchy had been unbearable. Who were these men who wanted to provide for and protect them while they bore children, kept homes, and engaged in the oppressive activities of family life? How dare men hold women back? Did they not realize that every woman’s dream was to work on an assembly line with a bunch of stinking, cussing, vulgar men? Or to cater to every whim of her executive boss while her own husband would have to make do
without her?

The feminist movement has backfired. Sure, a woman can make money. She can be the boss. She can be
independent and let every man know she is her own woman. She can even be promiscuous. Why not?

She is finding out. Marriage rates are down. Birth rates are down. This is incredibly sad for the women in our society. Studies have revealed that the absolute happiest and most fulfilled women are those who are married and raising children. No other category comes close. The bad news for the feminist movement is that, while they gained what they thought they wanted, they have lost what really made them happy. Many women with successful careers, résumés full of accomplishments, and empty homes have learned that men were just looking for wives and partners. The value of a virtuous woman is at an all-time high.

Restoration of God’s Beautiful Design

Thankfully, young Christians are beginning to see the beauty of marriage again. There is a generation rising that recognizes God’s way is best, for them and for the society they are part of. Young men are being drawn to this, recognizing that part of their role is to be a responsible citizen and part of a church. Christ-honoring young men are hearing the call to be loving husbands and fathers, living lives that glorify God through the most basic of His commands and following His design.

These young men are stepping into their roles as leaders in the church and community. For the first time in recent memory, surveys reveal that young men are more religious than young women. They are buying more Bibles, attend church more regularly, and are more likely to identify as religious. These young men aren’t returning to churches that shrink back from the truth. Instead, they are seeking out bold churches with brave leaders who will stand and declare the truth—God’s truth. A stark contrast to the dying, compromised, progressive church, these congregations are vibrant, growing, and full of revival.

The prodigal son recognized his mistake. Some in the prodigal church have done the same. Some well-meaning pastors got caught up in the seeker-sensitive, offend-no-one, motivational-speech, concert-and-sermonette style of church. The Holy Spirit has begun to convict these leaders. They are turning back to God-honoring, Bible-teaching ministry where the gospel is preached, sin is confronted, and discipleship is at the center of everything. And it is working.

It does not make sense to pursue God with anything less than a whole heart. Intuitively, we all understand
this. A faith that demands nothing, that changes nothing, that has no impact on believers and unbelievers, is worthless. Christians know this. Those who have been born again are hungry for discipleship. They are inspired by boldness. We should be giving them healthy doses of both.

As teachers were inside preparing for the school year at Mary G. Montgomery High School in Mobile,
something else was happening on the outside. Students began to show up: some driving, others dropped off by parents. At first there were a few, then ten, then more. Soon they had a large, diverse gathering from every social group in the school. It is a strange thing to get students to show up a week before school starts, but here they were. They did not assemble for a program or a sports event. Instead, they gathered to walk. They walked once around the property, prayed, then got in their vehicles or called their rides, and returned home.

This happened for the next six days. On the seventh day, the first day of school, they did something different. They walked around the school property seven times. Then they prayed again. By this day, there were dozens of them, gathering before daylight, before the rooster crowed, not to deny but to boldly declare that they were unembarrassed of Jesus and that in this school the kingdom of God would be present.

The students called it the “Jericho Walk.” Out of this group of kids came so many incredible stories, I could fill a whole book with them. We call them our Jesus Revolution Kids. If you come to Pathway Church, you’ll find them sitting on the front rows, and not because someone told them to be there. They’ll have their Bibles open, taking notes and making highlights, soaking up the gospel and how to walk closely with the Lord. During worship they fill the altar in prayer. Everywhere they go, they go boldly, declaring Jesus to anyone who will listen and to some who will probably try not to.

This movement really started with a kid named Dallas, whom you met in an earlier chapter. He attended church at one of our campuses, and someone invited him to youth camp. When he asked a staff member if he could go, he was informed that the camp was full. But he persisted. Finally, someone told him he could go but would have to sleep on the floor. He agreed. That week, Dallas had a radical salvation experience. He now serves on our staff at Pathway.

The so-called experts would tell you this should not have happened. At the time, I sat with my staff and
explained that God was calling us to be bold on the difficult issues of the day. I let them know I wanted every staff member, teacher, and department to be bold and unashamed of the gospel, including the difficult topics. This never drove anyone away; it drew young people to us. It was unlike anything they were getting anywhere else. Finally, someone was giving them truth.

It was in that environment that Dallas began his journey as a believer. He was a radical from the beginning, and his zeal was contagious. Dallas was an athlete with a winsome personality. When he showed up to youth worship and went straight to the front to worship and pray, others started joining him. On Sunday when he walked in with his Bible and started sitting on the front row, it was not long before several rows were filled with other hungry young believers. A bold youth program resulted in a bold convert, which has led to bold action, which has grown the kingdom.

That is how it works when we refuse to be ashamed of Jesus!

One day, Dallas walked into my office and sat down. I had seen God’s work in his life and was curious to hear what he had to say. With no appointment or call, he informed me that he wanted to hold a student worship and testimony night at the high school. I looked at this kid whom I could not help but love and believe in and told him to go for it. With Dallas, I knew he would make it work.

He spoke with someone about permission to hold the event, and then he and his friends started promoting the night. Gen Z is a different breed. Their marketing was straightforward and looked almost clunky next to the slick designs we’d grown accustomed to. When I saw their poster, which they had designed using Time magazine’s Jesus Revolution cover as their inspiration, I hoped their night would live up to that incredible movement decades ago. The marketer in me was more than a little concerned with their choice of name. It was terrible: “Student Worship and Testimony Night.” Who was going to come to
that?

Apparently, everyone.

On the night of the event, the auditorium was full—more than seven hundred students. It was
everything Dallas and his group of co-organizers (each now as radical as he) had hoped for. With no adult
involvement, students led worship, shared testimonies, and conducted every part of the service, including a sermon by Dallas. That night more than one hundred students gave their lives to Christ, and at least seventy were baptized—because a handful of bold teens were too bold to fail.

One day, as Dallas and I were chatting, he mentioned the Jericho Walk. When we talked about the seventh day, I said, “And the walls fell down!”

“Not physical walls, Pastor Travis, but the spiritual ones sure did. A lot of people got saved that year.”

One bold church. One bold convert. One bold youth group. One bold action. One school turned upside down for Jesus.

The prodigal church is returning home. We’ve seen what has been wasted. We know that where we’ve been is not where our heavenly Father meant us to be. Fear, polite Christianity, progressive ideology, and every other rotten thing are being left back at the pigpen.

No longer following from a distance.

No longer afraid.

No longer silent.

Go get the robe, the ring, and the new shoes.

The unembarrassed church is coming home.

Travis Johnson is Lead Pastor of Pathway Church, a multisite church with campuses across the Gulf Coast. He is also Executive Director of People for Care and Learning, founder of BUY A TREE. CHANGE A LIFE., serves on the National Faith Advisory Board, and author of “(Un)Embarrassed of Jesus.” He is a convictional Christian leader known for bold culturally engaged preaching, writing, and leadership. His new book, [Un]Embarrassed of Jesus, is available on Amazon.com.