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INDIANAPOLIS -- More than 8,000 people were on hand at the annual North American Christian Convention to hear convention president Bob Russell challenge them to imagine God's purpose fulfilled in their churches.

Russell, senior minister at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., delivered a message titled, "Imagine God's Glory Revealed in Your Church," to a packed auditorium during the four-day event for non-denominal Christian churches at the Indianapolis Convention Center, July 8-11.

Russell displayed the down-home charm that helped Southeast grow from a congregation of 120 to one of the largest churches in the United States with about 22,000 members during his 35-year tenure.

"My mother gave me sound advice when I was a little boy," he said to open his sermon. "You've heard it too. She said, ‘When you cross the street, be sure to look both ways.'"

Russell used that maternal wisdom to segue into his own advice for the modern church.

"Church leaders need to look both ways too," he said.

Like the children of Israel, who were delivered from slavery in

"Obviously, God wants us to look both ways. Looking back gives us roots that we can grow; looking forward gives us wings that we can fly." Bob Russell, Southeast Christian Church

Egypt, modern-day believers need to look to the past and appreciate their identity.

Russell said the modern church would do well to follow the admonishment of the Apostle John, who told the early New Testament church to, "See that what you heard from the beginning remains in you." (1 John 2:24)

"A river is purest at its source and we would do well to emulate the church of the Bible," Russell said.

But he cautioned leaders not to lose sight of the future. Vision is a key element of God's plan for the church and leaders need to look ahead to imagine what the church is going to be in heaven.

"Obviously, God wants us to look both ways," he said. "Looking back gives us roots that we can grow; looking forward gives us wings that we can fly."

On Earth as in Heaven

Russell challenged leaders to imagine heaven and to emulate it on earth as they prepare for it eternally.

Scripture gives the modern church timeless principles for a firm foundation

"Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." Revelation 21:27 NIV

and dramatic pictures of the fellowship of God's people for inspiration.

Citing Rev. 21:27, Russell said Scripture tells believers heaven will be a place of moral purity: "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

"Most of us here tonight would admit that our churches fall pitifully short of this heavenly standard of moral purity," Russell said. He cited a report in Leadership Magazine on a poll of 1,000 ministers that revealed 12 percent had committed adultery while in the ministry and 23 percent had done something they deemed sexually inappropriate.

Christianity Today surveyed a similar number of its subscribers who were not ministers but were church leaders and found those figures nearly doubled: 23 percent had been unfaithful and 45 percent indicated they had done something sexually inappropriate.

As further evidence, he said, The Barna Research Group reports the divorce rate among Christians is about the same as the divorce rate of the world.

"Cohabiting, gossip, unwholesome talk, lawsuits, drugs, vengeful spirits, (and) alcoholism are commonplace in many of our churches," Russell said.

"One of the reasons the world disregards the church's message is that it sees no distinctiveness in our lifestyle," Russell said. "The world reads about the child-abuse scandal in the Catholic Church and the church split in the Christian church … and the mismanagement of funds or the drug addiction among prominent ministers and they conveniently conclude religious institutions are phony to the core."

In the past, Russell said, he believed the church could impact the world by committing to excellent programming at the church. He no longer holds that belief.

"If the church is going to have a positive impact on this skeptical culture, that excellence is going to have to be combined with integrity," he said. "It's imperative that we put as much emphasis on moral purity in the future as we have doctrinal purity in the past. Ephesians 5:3 reads, ‘But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.'"

Make Adjustments

In order to raise the bar of purity in the church, leaders need to make three significant adjustments, Russell told the crowd.

First, the church needs to clearly communicate what is expected of Christian people.

Guest speakers repeated the 'Imagine' theme throughout the four-day event, July 8-11. Greg Nettle, senior pastor of RiverTree Christian Church in Massillon, Ohio, kicked off the worship sessions with the message, "Imagine God's Power Unleashed in Your Life." David Wheeler, campus minister and teacher at Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, Tenn., continued the theme with a message titled, "Imagine God's Harmony Displayed in Your Family." Dick Alexander, senior minister of Clovernook Christian Church in Cincinnati gave a message titled "Imagine God's Mission Accomplished in Your World." Max Lucado, the prolific author and pulpit minister at Oak Hills Church of Christ in San Antonio, closed out the convention worship services with, "Imagine God's Reward Waiting for You in Heaven."

Russell said church leaders become so concerned with being seeker-friendly they subconsciously water-down the entry requirements for discipleship.

"We don't want to leave the impression we're extremists, so we just don't say anything about homosexuality or abortion or cohabiting or drunkenness. We kind of shout grace and whisper repentance and hope we'll sneak it in later," he said.

"We don't want the public to think we're intolerant of other religions so we don't label Islam a false religion and we don't say that Jesus is the only way," Russell said. "We don't want the visitor to think we're just in it for the money, so we don't say anything about sacrificing or tithing. We don't want our guests to be turned off by 'churchy' practices so we remove baptism and communion from the weekend worship service."

Russell said Jesus communicated lovingly and clearly -- right up front -- what was expected:

"Unless a man denies himself and takes up his cross and follows me, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:27)

"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:11)

"Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."(Luke 18:22)

"We need to make it clear from the outset that following Jesus means repentance and (living a) distinctive lifestyle," he said.

Another adjustment the church must make is for elders to take a more active role in disciplining church members. At Southeast, he said, elders recognize church discipline is necessary and intend to practice guidelines found in Matthew 18:15, Galatians 6:1 and 1 Corinthians 5 to confront and discipline, if necessary, to restore the fallen and maintain the purity of the body.

"We're not aggressively investigating to find someone living improperly. We hope we never see it. But when it's obvious, when it's a threat to the integrity of the church, we won't ignore it," Russell said. "We'll take appropriate action because if the salt has lost its flavor it's good for nothing."

Thirdly, church leaders should hold up the lives of the faithful as role models instead of always using testimonies of dramatic conversions.

"We love the dramatic rescues: the prostitute, the drug addict turning to Christ. That's exciting. That demonstrates the redemptive power of the gospel," he said. "But would it not communicate to our children and the world a higher standard if we frequently honored those who have been faithful for many years as the ideal examples of God's will? Revelation 14:12 applauds those saints who patiently endure, and, ‘obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.'"

The convention included over 300 exibitors, including missions representives from Africa, Asia, Europe, and Central and South America.

The 2004 NACC will be in Phoenix July 5-8 and will feature sermons by Kyle Idleman, Southeast Christian Church; Dudley Rutherford, Shepherd of the Hills, Porter Ranch, Calif.; Gene Appel, Central Christian Church, Las Vegas; and Dick Alexander, Clovernook Christian Church, Cincinnati.

Among those conducting special guest seminars will be Erwin McManus, lead pastor at Mosaic church, City Of Industry, Calif.; Ben Freudenburg, Christ Church-Lutheran, Phoenix; and Jim Cymbala, The Brooklyn Tabernacle.