Willow Creek: Participation Vs Sanctification

Measuring Participation Vs Sanctification
or
Attendance as a Commodity

Last month a blog at Christianity Today reported that for all the millions of dollars spent on programs for unchurched Harry and Mary at Williow Creek Church there is very little spiritual growth to show for it.

"Not long ago Willow released its findings from a multiple year qualitative study of its ministry. Basically they wanted to know what programs and activities of the church were actually helping people mature spiritually and which were not...Speaking at the leadership Summit, Hybels summarized the findings in this way: 'Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn't helping people that much.'"

For more info:
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2007/10/willow_creek_re.html

A BRIEF EXAMINATION OF THE CHURCH GROWTH MOVEMENT Pt. 1

Over the past decade and a half evangelical churches have undergone a transformation. Church leaders and pastors have embraced a ministry philosophy which seeks to understand the “felt needs” of their prospective “customer base” in order to package their product in an effort to appeal to the widest possible consumer base. This market driven approach has in essence re-defined the purpose for the corporate gathering of the church. Sunday morning is no longer viewed as a time when believers come together in order to be equipped for the work of the ministry. On the contrary, for many churches the focus of the Sunday morning service is simply evangelism. Using market surveys church leaders attempt to construct an inviting environment in an attempt to persuade unchurched Harry and Mary to join them for Sunday worship. These Sunday services known as “Seeker Services” are designed to provide a neutral place for the unchurched to investigate Christianity. Ostensibly the ultimate goal of the seeker service is the conversion of unchurched Harry, but at what price. This the first of four articles will endeavor to provide a brief overview of the history and objectives of the Seeker Sensitive movement.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

The Seeker Sensitive movement is simply an outgrowth of the Church Growth movement which had its beginnings in the mid 1950’s with the publishing of Donald A. McGavran’s, The Bridges of God. This book has been labeled the Magna Carta of the Church Growth movement and has played a determinative role in Church Growth thinking ever since. McGavran, a third generation missionary to India, is credited as being the father of the modern Church Growth movement. After serving many years in India with relatively little success to show for his efforts McGavran set out to discover why some churches were growing at phenomenal rates while others located only a few miles away were not. He identified four major questions that were to drive the Church Growth movement:

1. What are the causes of church growth?
2. What are the barriers to church growth?
3. What are the factors that can make the Christian faith a movement among some populations?
4. What principles of church growth are reproducible?

It was from this research that McGavran developed his three essential Church Growth principles:

1. To realize that God wants his lost children found and enfolded.
2. To discover the facts of church growth. Responsible research into the causes and barriers to church growth must be conducted.
3. To develop specific plans based on the facts that are discovered. Taking the initiative to set goals and develop bold strategies to win people to Christ.

In 1965, McGavran’s established the Institute of Church Growth at Fuller Seminary and by the early 1970’s Fuller Theological Seminary became the geographical focus for the movement. It was also during the 1970’s that McGavran and C. Peter Wagner instituted the Fuller Evangelistic Association Department of Church Growth at Fuller to apply Church Growth methodology to American churches.

“The almost immediate acceptance of Church Growth by a majority of American churches came through the ministry and writings of C. Peter Wagner, from his influential platform as professor at Fuller Theological Seminary. He communicated his findings to the students at Fuller, and many became leaders of denominations or mission boards.”

In his teaching during the 1970’s, Wagner presented what he described as the six
irreducible presuppositions on which Church Growth was founded they are as follows:
1. Non-growth displeases God.
2. Numerical growth of a church is priority with God and focuses on new disciples rather than decisions.
3. Disciples are tangible, identifiable, countable people who increase the church numerically.
4. Limited time, money, and resources demand that the church develop a strategy based on results.
5. Social and behavioral sciences are valuable tools in measuring and encouraging church growth.
6. Research is essential for maximum growth.

Using what Wagner refers to as “consecrated pragmatism” he teaches church leaders to find those methods and means which achieve their desired ministry results. If some sort of ministry in the church is not reaching intended goals, consecrated pragmatism says there is something wrong which needs to be corrected. While Wagner’s name is not always associated with the Seeker Sensitive movement his impact in undeniable. MacArthur says that Wagner “is the most prolific if not the most influential spokesman in the church growth movement.”

In the 1990’s the Church Growth movement became enamored with the “seeker.” A “seeker” is defined as one who sets aside his preconceptions and studies Christianity to see if it is really true. During the last two decades the discussion among the Church Growth community became focused on “seeker” sensitivity, meeting felt needs, and marketing the church. Borrowing from the market driven ministry philosophy of Robert Schuller both Bill Hybels pastor at Willow Creek and Rick Warren pastor at Saddleback have become the premier examples of the Seeker Sensitive Church Movement. Next post we will see just how the ministries of Schuller, Hybels and Warren have impacted the way most evangelical churches function today.

Why Did Jesus Die?

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This verse written by the apostle John is perhaps given as the most common reason as to why God sent His Son into the world to save sinners such as ourselves. However, while appearing to be telling us why God sent His Son (John 3:16) is in fact telling us what caused or moved God to send His Son into this world. It was God’s love for you and I that caused Him to sacrifice His own Son on our behalf so that we might have forgiveness of our sins and enjoy eternal life with Him. In 1John, the apostle provides the why when he writes, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). God sent Jesus to be a “propitiation” that is a sacrifice that bears God’s wrath so that God becomes “propitious” or favorably disposed toward you and I. Because of our sin God’s justice required that He find a way for the penalty due us to be paid for and that is why God sent Jesus into this world.

This is echoed elsewhere by others in the New Testament.

“Therefore, He [Jesus] had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17).

[In Christ] “God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed” (Romans 3:25).

God, the Creator and Lord of the universe, poured out on Jesus the full brunt of His wrath against sin. On the Cross Jesus took our place and willingly endured the penalty that we deserved.

Jesus died as a sacrifice. “but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb 9:26).

Jesus died to remove us from the wrath of God that we deserved. “He Himself [Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

Jesus died to remove our separation from God. You and I needed someone to provide reconciliation, in order to bring us back into fellowship with God. Paul says that God “through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor 5:18-19).

Jesus died because we as sinners are in bondage to sin and to Satan, we needed someone to redeem us out of that bondage. Jesus gave Himself as the ransom and it is through His death and resurrection that we find redemption from our sins. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

At this point we might be tempted to see Jesus’ death on the Cross to be all about us. It was for our benefit, it was because of our sin, it was because God desired our fellowship. However, salvation is not primarily about us. Yes, we do benefit by Jesus’ sacrifice but what we gain should not be our focus. Our focus is to be God. God has redeem and commissioned us as His disciples to take this message of propitiation and reconciliation into the world. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:18-19). Because of Jesus’ death we are able to fulfill this command and if we are truly seeking God’s glory, we are obligated to fulfill this responsibility and share the Gospel with those who do not know why Jesus died.

Pray that God would give you and I boldness to proclaim His message and that our churches would be devoted to making disciples and remain faithful in the teaching of the Scriptures. This is why Jesus died.

DRESSING FOR SUCCESS

Studies reveal that within 45 seconds of meeting you for the first time, most will decide whether what you have to say is credible or whether they will dismiss you - all on the bases of how you present yourself. Key components to such a verdict include one’s clothing, hair, grooming, posture, and communication skills.

According to S. Maysonave author of Casual Power, “A powerful business presence conveys on the nonverbal level: I am intelligent; I have choices; I am resourceful; I can be authoritative; easily managing and inspiring other people; and I am capable of handling any business situation in this field, including conflict and curve balls.”

You may be the most controlling, egomaniac to walk the corporate halls but your dress can “inspire the opportunity” for those you meet to think otherwise. How is this possible? How can one simply by changing his look “inspire” confidence? Answer: People judge by externals.

In First Samuel, Israel was clamoring for a king. Like the other nations around them, the elders of Israel desired a king to lead them and fight their battles. When Samuel introduced Saul as Israel’s king the people quickly embraced their new king. What was the predominate qualification Saul possessed for the job? What was it about Saul that within the first 45 seconds of his introduction that made the nation of Israel acknowledge him as their king? Saul was “taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward” (1 Samuel 0:23). It was his height that inspired the people. Saul met the physical requirements. Saul looked like a king! However, in time it was revealed that Saul did not possess the inward spiritual inclination toward God to allow him to succeed as Israel’s king.

When God called Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel, He sent Samuel to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse. Upon seeing Jesse’s oldest son Eliab, Samuel assumed based upon Eliab’s appearance and stature that he was God’s man. Again, Samuel was looking at the external. Eliab looked like “king material.” “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart’” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Even Samuel, perhaps the greatest prophet since Moses, made his initial decision on who God would choose as Israel’s next king solely on externals. Yet God would choose not the oldest son of Jesse but rather the youngest son, David. God saw in David what Samuel and others did not. David had a heart for God. He had a desire to serve the LORD and be obedient to His commands. In the eyes of God, David was truly a man who was dressed for success.

In the New Testament book of Colossians, the apostle Paul outlines how Christians are to dress for success. In the third chapter Paul writes that since you are followers of Christ your focus is not to be on the things of this world but on the coming heavenly kingdom. Using language analogous to changing clothes Paul instructs his readers in verse 8 to put off or lay aside, “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech … [and in verse 12] put on [or cover yourself with] a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” If you are going to be successful as a Christian you can not continue to live and act like a non-Christian.

“Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech are the clothes of the “old man,” the pre-Christian man. Just as we would not expect the CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation to show up at the annual shareholders meeting in a pair of greasy, worn out overalls, we should not expect Christians to be characterized by anger or abusive speech.

The theme of Colossians is the absolute preeminence or sole sufficiency of Jesus Christ. Paul writes to warn the Colossians against relapsing into their former pre-Christian state and to reject all teaching that would refuse to recognize Jesus as the complete and all sufficient Savior. Specifically Paul warns them not to be taken in, in four key areas: (1) Human philosophy - the pursuit of truth apart from God. (2) Legalism - which measures spirituality based on what a person does. (3) Mysticism - the belief that spiritual reality is found apart from human intellect and natural senses. (4) Asceticism - spirituality gained through rigorous self-denial. Each of these usurp the preeminence of Jesus Christ and lead to self-glorification by exalting man and his accomplishments.

The preeminence or supremacy of Jesus Christ in the life of the Christian means that everything you do has Jesus Christ and His glorification first place in mind. And the practical implication of this is seen in your conduct and walk or as Paul puts it, in what you “put on.”
We live in a world where presentation and image reign. Like Saul, your dark suit, power tie, and polished shoes may inspire the confidence of others but the preeminence of Christ in the life of the Christian is not found in your outward dress. Rather the successful Christian is one who displays his total sufficiency in Christ by the spiritual clothes he “puts on.”

How much time must a person spend with you before he or she sees the clothes of the Savior? Are you dressed for success?