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“We have got to realize and understand that God will never give you a vision that He also doesn’t give you what it takes to pull it off. That God will never put something on your heart that he also doesn’t give you what it takes to see it through.”
Jonathan Falwell, from his message “Don’t Let the Vision Become the Victim”, preached at Innovate Church 2009 May 18, 2009
The other day, our youth director expressed his disgust with the fact that there seems to be a trend where pastors are trying to look hip. He said “they dress alike. Their churches look alike. The websites are the same. They use the same jargon. They are all trying to compete with Starbucks. There is no uniqueness in their ministries.”
This caused me to think about what God is calling our church to be. What is he calling me to be? Do I need to grow a “soul patch” and give up the “classic look” in order to reach people with the gospel? Or is he calling me and our church to be the unique creation that He called into existence?
A.W. Tozer has a great perspective on this issue. Consider what he wrote 60 years ago concerning the issue of Christian literature. It will provide some thought concerning the call to be you and the issue of the “party line.”
“Christian literature, to be accepted and approved by evangelical leaders of our times, must follow very closely the same train of thought, a kind of “party line” from which it is scarcely safe to depart. A half-century of this in America has made us smug and content. We imitate each other with slavish devotion. Our most strenuous efforts are put forth to try to say the same thing that everyone around us is saying-and yet to find an excuse for saying it, some little safe variation on the approved theme or, if no more, at least a new illustration.” A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, Christian Publications
Thanks Tozer. You have helped me think through the “party line” and make the decision to not grow a “soul patch.”
I have been gingerly working my way through David Kinnaman’s unchristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity. It is a must read book for all pastors and Christians. As I was working my way through chapter 6, “Too Political,” the author makes a point that I believe has application for the interaction that believers have toward one another (ie. blogs, sermons, books). Kinnaman’s point also has implications for how unbelievers see Christians.
…………..As James says, “So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others” (James 2:12-13).
This has special relevance for a number of reasons. First, in an era of mass media, blogs, and viral videos, it is important to remember that your words and actions may endure in the blogosphere, on YouTube, or on some other digital destination. This is particularly important for those Christians who appear in media, because the stakes are high. What you say and how you say it are important issues of stewardship. You are representing Christ to outsiders, even as you articulate a Christian perspective. And in the context of a sound bite or a media interview, this is a tough challenge. We cannot seek popularity, but we also cannot ignore the listeners who may be making spiritual conclusions about whether Christianity rings true or not. Even if we are speaking from the context of a biblical worldview, many will not interpret our comments from that same perspective. So it is incumbent on us to present things clearly, creatively, and without clichés. And particularly among Christians, our calls to action must provoke each other to self-examination, humility and appropriate engagement. With fellow believers who lack a holistic biblical worldview, we have to be particularly cautious not to create attitudes in them or alarm them in ways that give them an excuse to be unChristian.
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 (NKJV)
I recently watch Ed Young (Fellowship Church, Grapevine TX) make some comments concerning a serious issue that he called “Church Pirates.” I found his videotaped discussion with his staff and the resulting comments on the blogosphere intriguing. According to Ed, church pirates are individuals who get involved in a church, as leadership or staff. They build a kingdom within the church and at some point go down the street and start a new church. These pirates then suck people and resources from the first church to their new church. When these pirates are confronted, they play the “God card” by stating that God had told them to do it. Ed’s confrontation of this issue has opened a closet to the dark side of the North American church. Consider the points that Ed Young and others have made concerning Church Pirates.
Ed’s main Points
- Church pirates disguise themselves as church planters.
- How many church plants are legitimate church transplants or simply just church splits?
- Most churches that have experienced tremendous growth (2,000 to 3,000) in a short period of time are church splits.
- Laymen always believe the victim not the pastor.
- I am not into moving sheep from place to place or stealing sheep.
- He is seeing more and more of this behavior today.
- He points out that this behavior is unethical and illegal in the world.
- Why are church plants always called to the elite?
- Church planting should always take place in an area with a vacuum or need.
- Super specific ministries suck people away from the church.
- Is it church planting or church transplanting?
The Counter Points from the blogosphere
- We worry about that stuff too much.
- A lot of times it’s God’s way of building the Kingdom. Kind of like the Diaspora. It might not of seemed right at the time, but look at how God used it!
- It’s hard to hear from a guy with a church as big as his.
- Maybe if pastors were able to see more of the need around them and the fact that we don’t need to limit the number of churches in area, since we’re really not in competition (this isn’t the corporate world in many ways) then they would bless these people and send them out.
- It’s hard for me to watch this video because I think it speaks more to pettiness and worldliness than anything else.
- He just really sounds insecure about something that is God’s to begin with.
- He sounds like he is whining over a situation.
- I really think Ed is being sincere, but this problem is perpetuated by the attractional model that Fellowship practices. I would’ve been even more impressed if he had ended by apologizing for the churches that they helped close on their way to huge growth.
Ed’s comments and the counterpoints of others point to deeper issues in the North American church. Here are some thoughts that I have as I digest Ed’s video and the reaction of others.
1. The “ends justify the means” mentality
There is a subtle mentality that embraces pastors today. As they are seeking to build their ministries, many have adopted an “ends justify the means” ethic. This has even been espoused in literature where small churches are viewed as feeders to growing churches.
2. The negative side of church growth
This issue definitely reveals the dark side of the church growth movement. Whereas the movement began with a focus on reaching the lost with the gospel, the reality has been a shift to an emphasis on transfer growth. Statistics reflect that while many churches are experiencing growth, the number of born again believers in North America has not grown in the last ten years.
3. Superstar mentality
This issue is a direct result of the superstar mentality that has engulfed the North American church. Let’s face the facts; the size of your church gives you significance in our church culture. Have you noticed that pastors of smaller ministries are not given national platforms from which to speak? The result is a subtle pressure to succeed so that we will be recognized by our peers.
4. A shallow view of church
Finally this issue reflects a shallow theology concerning the church. Lets be honest, much of the material that is available to pastors today concerning the church is shallow and pragmatic. Church pirates are simply a consequence of a shallow understanding of the church.
A great book to read concerning the issue of transfer growth is William Chadwick’s Stealing Sheep: The Church’s Hidden Problems with Transfer Growth, published by InterVarsity Press.
