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The Modern Church Growth Movement - Growing the Wrong Way by Eric Barger Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. - II Timothy 4:2-4 Most Christians are aware that within the Church today there is great doctrinal confusion on many fronts. In fact, the list of theological debate topics seems endless. Some of the issues spark healthy dialog and some result in little more than dogmatic diatribe. But while we discuss the merits of Calvinism [1] vs. Arminianism [2] or the historical inaccuracy of Preterism [3] a multifaceted Trojan Horse has wormed its way in under the surface in virtually every Christian circle. For simplicity’s sake we’ll refer to it as The Modern Church Growth Movement. The Modern Church Growth Movement (MCGM) sounds so positive. After all, who could be against church growth? The movement’s gurus have established strong platforms to use in selling their ideas to Christian leaders and in so doing have become recognized throughout the church world. While certainly not everything advocated by these writers and speakers is invalid, it would seem that today all one has to do is devise a marketing plan and attach a few Scriptures to it and one can find acceptability and popularity within our ranks. THE "NEW" CHRISTIANITY Over the past 100+ years Christianity has witnessed the decline of nearly all of the so-called mainline denominations. The once strong movements associated with Luther, Wesley, Calvin and others have suffered greatly at the hands of liberal theology. Throughout this period Bible believers have spawned new fellowships in an effort to join with others of like minds and to bring clarity to the message that Jesus is indeed the way and that the Bible is the truth. In the case of the liberal denominations, the scriptural warning that "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (Gal 5:9, I Cor 5:6) certainly fits. Once error starts unless it is removed it eventually infects the entire body. It is not the latest trend that is happening in the liberal denominations that I am writing about here however. It is what has happened and continues to happen to Bible-believing EVANGELICALS, FUNDAMENTALISTS and PENTECOSTALS that must be revealed. The "new" gospel that is now being accepted and preached in thousands of once-strong churches (as well as countless liberal pulpits) must be exposed for what it is in hopes that lay people and leaders will arise against the deception presently passing itself off as "the faith. AGAINST THE GRAIN… In this article I am going to speak directly about some of these disturbing trends within the Church today. To do so is in a way groundbreaking for me. In the past I have steered away from dealing with the peripheral doctrines that divide some Believers. I have always contended that there is far too much "Christian bashing" by Christians inside the Church in our day. However, the new movements and trends being accepted and spawned from within what we have always supposed was the Church are clearly cause to break with my old rule. Today’s "user friendly" version of Christianity pales in such stark contrast to the historic truths of who the Church is to be, what we are to do and the message which we are to present that silence is no longer an option I can personally afford. Please understand that I am not merely trying to be provocative by taking on these issues. It’s not as if I don’t have enough to keep me busy with our ministry relating to the cults and the occult, etc. I am also painfully aware that the expose’ on the issues I am venturing into here will not be accepted by everyone. This is definitely not "safe" ground. I realize this because I have taken over a year to analyze and research this movement before writing about it and during that time it has become evident to me that the deception runs deep. Perhaps the main reason that some may be inclined to reject what I am presenting here is because it will defy and contradict what I believe are clearly unscriptural ideas about doctrine, practice and growth which have become the "gospel" in some of our churches today. Once we have been conditioned to accept something - especially if it appears to be and is accepted by others as "Christian" it’s pretty hard to back away from it - especially if the teaching and philosophy in question has garnered results such as growth in numbers. The truth is that too many pastors just don’t want to be associated with ministers and ministries that are perceived as stirring things up. It has been my experience that on issues like these the fact of whether any particular position is right or wrong is sometimes almost inconsequential. Once a church has started down the path of monumental change demanded by some of the programs offered by the MCGM it is just so much simpler to say nothing than to deal with the fallout from a stand being taken to the contrary - even if it’s a completely biblical one. This may be especially true if a church has already committed to a program spending what can amount to large sums of money on implementing it. Like my grandpa used to say, "It’s hard to change horses in the middle of the stream." He was right about this in terms of human nature and that is what often gets in the way preventing churches, ministries, families and individuals from making the right choices in life. While it is troubling that some church leaders would rather just keep going because that’s what they voted to do or because they’ve already spent a lot of money on a program, I certainly can’t change them all. Since I clearly view what is happening to us as a detriment it is simply my responsibility to lay out an opposing view to the MCGM, let others ponder my thoughts and pray that the Holy Spirit will direct us all. If just one pastor, conference chairman or lay person realizes the dangers these movements represent to the entire Body of Christ then any heat I may take will be well worth it. Most thrilling would be the thought of one of the advocates of the MCGM stumbling across my words and through the conviction of the Spirit of God doing a proverbial "180" which would point people firmly towards the Cross once again. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CHURCH? There is no doubt that church attendance figures have experienced peaks and valleys in recent times. George Barna states that the number of adults attending church in the United States in 1991 was 49%, but the figure had shrunk to just 37% by 1997. [4] As church attendance went into decline in the 1990’s simultaneously came the rise of an assortment of authors and teachers offering plans and suggestions on how to fix our ailing numbers. If you haven’t noticed, a number of popular leaders and authors have been and still are presenting so-called "cutting edge" revelation on church growth. The intended perception for these books and seminars is that they have discovered the fix for all that ails us. Some have produced radical ideas suggesting an "extreme makeover" of church practice and doctrine to solve the perceived growth predicament. I believe that in some cases the appeal or pressure to be "new" or to have a revelation that tops their last book has caused a few of these authors and teachers to exceed biblically orthodox boundaries in order to come up with their next published work or blockbuster sermon. It seems that the majority of books in this new genre claims to hold the elusive golden key. Many of the self-help titles lining the shelves down at the local Bible bookstore are aiming at the church as a whole instead of at particular individuals. This new class of Christian book (claiming to fix our church growth woes) has pandered to and helped to fuel a bubbling panic among some Christians causing many to wonder "Church as we know it isn’t working anymore…we have got to try something different." Thinking that the problem must lie in our modus operandi the suggestion that "we must change" has been the battle cry of the MCGM and its proponents. In 2005 the number of regular church attendees nationally had rebounded to 45%. Does this prove the validity of the MCGM? Perhaps outwardly, but the real question is this: though more people may be in church, are they saved and hearing the genuine and unadulterated Gospel? Or are they accepting one of the new allegedly "positive" yet counterfeit replacement models? George Barna almost speaks directly to the issue that attendance figures seem to cloud the judgment of pastors. In research released January 9, 2006 Barna states that during a nationwide survey pastors responded that they believe that between 70% and 90% of their congregants are committed to their faith as the most important aspect of their lives. Barna’s figures show this to be far from reality however. Only one out of seven adults surveyed sited their faith as the foremost priority in their lives! [5] Here is how the Agape News Service summed up Barna’s findings. "One problem, Barna says, is that too many pastors often use superficial measures such as church attendance to gauge commitment among their congregations. "Looking at attendance, it’s good to fill up the church and to raise the money for the programs," he observes, "but the reality is, Jesus didn’t die on the cross to fill church auditoriums." What Christ died for, Barna asserts, is "so that people’s lives would be transformed and He would be number one in their lives. Attendance really does nothing to measure that." Nor, he points out, does it give any clear indication of people’s commitment to specific aspects of their Christian faith, such as evangelism — something else the recent study showed is not a priority in most churches. "About seven out of every eight churches don’t even look at whether or not their people are in fact sharing their faith in Christ with others," the Christian author and researcher notes. "And even fewer churches, of course, take a look at what is happening in those instances where the gospel is being shared with nonbelievers." [6] While I agree with Barna on the above, he then crosses the line and veers into the path of an immovable object - the Bible (let alone Church history). In the January 9, 2006 data release he comes out of the closet as a loose cannon. Barna fires directly at the "Church as we know it" from the other end. He applauds the trend against tradition and history by Christians calling them "revolutionaries" who are bored with things like tithing, sermons and service schedules. Talk about creating a cottage industry for one's self! Do research; poll people; write books; get on TV/radio; draw a following; AND THEN PROMOTE ENTRY INTO A NEW WORLD OF CHRISTIANITY WHERE STRUCTURE, HISTORY AND DOCTRINE JUST DON'T MATTER WHERE YOU CAN SELL ANOTHER BOOK TO HELP GET THINGS IN ORDER! Lee Grady writes: "What Barna wants to do is reinvent the Church without biblical structure...If you still go to church, Barna makes you to feel like a weirdo. We are behind the times." [7] What Barna is saying is "forget building the Church, lets tear it down instead." Somebody needs to get the kool-aid out of George's hands. It is interesting that the MCGM gurus use Barna's material to prove how church has become in their eyes, irrelevant. Now Barna clearly announces that church organization and structure must go. He states that we could meet "in a worship service or at Starbucks; it might be satisfied through a Sunday school class or at a dinner in a fellow believer’s home.” [8] Lee Grady points out: "In other words, church is up for grabs. Define it how you wish, as long as you don’t define it the traditional way." [9] Here is where Barna and others in the MCGM are in lock step - they are bent on changing the Church into something it has never been and claim its for our own good. Ladies and gentlemen, from all sides we are being told "change." Proceed slowly! Unless we individually possess clarity and discernment as to what the biblically mandated message and mission of the Church is to be then we may easily be blinded by the glitter of success which has been attained by changing the Church into something which does not resemble the historical or Scriptural example. Otherwise, we may buy into the dismal report that we must abandon all structure completely and join Barna's Revolutionary Brigade! All this equates into a danger zone for the faith and for every individual Christian who is unwilling to keep their Bible close by – no matter who it is they may be receiving teaching from. PROPHETIC DECLINE? What nearly all of the MCGM teachers and writers are not telling you is that a decline in church attendance and our decreased acceptance by the culture is actually symptomatic of what the Scripture predicts will take place in these perilous end-days. Coming from a standpoint of "practicality" (read that as carnal or worldly) many Christians have fallen for the faulty idea that our method or message must be the culprit responsible for running people out of church. Instead my friends, if we’d just read those Bibles we would see the events of the day we are experiencing pictured there. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; - I Timothy 4:1 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. - Matthew 24:10-14 Because of the rising tide of evil the love of many – including some who go to church – will recede and dwindle in the end-days. This is exactly what is taking place today. I realize that this sounds very negative but understanding it and expressing it does not reflect a fatalistic attitude. It surely makes sense though that while the Church appears to be suffering losses in the end-days that somebody (or somebodys) is bound to stand up and proclaim "hey….we’re boring…it’s those sermons on sin and sanctification…it’s those old hymns…we need to change!" Etc. As uncomfortable as it may be what is happening must be recognized and understood before we completely throw the proverbial "baby out with the bath water" - doctrine and all - and see the Church change into something completely foreign to that which Scriptures demands. The truth is that it’s not our job to change. Our job is to stand strong and present the Gospel to "whosoever will" until the end. But if we’re going to make it through these times then we need to see the reflection of this hour in the Scripture and realize that deceptions – often led by good intentions – are bound to be the downfall of many well meaning Christians. (Again, I Tim. 4:1, Matt. 24:10-14) You probably won’t hear that from the highly paid church growth consultants that now seek to market themselves to nearly every church across our land. THE CHANGES THEY ARE A COMIN’ Christians aren’t facing changes every generation or even every decade. Now, shifts in practice and doctrine seem to be coming at a rate to fast for most of us to comprehend. The changes that MCGM proponents seek to make are radically redefining who we are as Christians, what we believe and of course why we are here. I have no doubt that unless we come back to our biblical senses this will certainly lead the Church of Jesus Christ into some very troubled waters in the days ahead. All around us it would appear that few are taking any time to dissect and test these new teachings and techniques according to the Scriptures. Popularity seems to be the prerequisite for acceptability in today’s western Church. After all, if an author or pastor accomplishes having his or her books sold and distributed widely isn’t that a signal that the content must be OK too? In practice one would certainly hope for Christians to be more discerning than this. However, considering the disturbing trends and ideas being heralded in the Church at this time it appears that many Christians are aloof of what is transpiring. The "leaven" is creeping and the "lump" is sleeping. It is no wonder that centuries-old standards for practice and doctrine have been redefined or renounced to make room for the "new" Christianity. Those leading the MCGM generally insist that to fill church buildings with new faces and to be "relevant" and "effective" we must abandon our heritage, update our message, change our operating standards and embrace the "new" Christianity. (Please note that the definition and outcome of being "relevant" and "effective" must be changed along the way too.) We are told that unless the Church changes its message (i.e. lots of self-help messages and little about sin or repentance) we won’t survive because nobody wants to hear the same old sermons "just from the Bible." We are told that we must become "user friendly" (i.e. cancel Sunday evening and midweek services, present no more than an hour service on Sunday morning, go out of our way not to offend other religions and be especially non-confrontive on issues like personal lifestyles and holiness). Though being called "our last chance at cultural acceptance," this version of Christianity doesn’t look, sound, believe or act like any previous incarnations of the Church. This notion is exactly what has catapulted the ideas of the MCGM into favor in so many churches today. Please listen to me carefully here. In our crush to be accepted by the culture and to add numbers in our congregations I fear that under the guise of trendy Christianity the spirit of rebellion has helped instigate and formulate who and what we are to be. Remember, the changes in practice and doctrine haven’t been forced on us because of the encroachment of tyrannical governments or religious intimidation such as is suffered by Believers in predominately Islamic countries. We have been told by the experts – from accepted Christian sources – that to be relevant we must change if we want to survive. As I’ve mentioned those crafting the MCGM stress "practicality" and "positivity" as themes for our churches and sermons. What they are really saying is the day of preaching the whole counsel of God including repentance and Hell are gone – if you want growth. Sounds exactly like the Devil to me. MAN CENTERED OR GOD CENTERED? What has happened before our eyes is that modern Christianity is now being marketed as a religion which exists to fulfill all of the temporal needs of man. Instead of the worship and adoration of God and the rejection of self which the Bible teaches, this new version of Christianity is now advertised as a route to find self-fulfillment. Resonating with the western mindset, the belief is thriving that Christianity is all about the here-and-now and very little about eternity. Nobody is really saying it this way but when you examine it carefully this is generally what is being taught. The goal of Christianity is no longer about escaping an eternity in Hell. Instead, it’s about finding purpose while on Earth. Though the Modern Church Growth teachers (Warren, Hybels and others) claim that all they have changed is the outer appearance of the Church, the truth is that if one follows the marketing philosophy they present then the conclusion is obvious. That is, a gospel that points at the sinfulness of man and his utter failure before God can never be spruced up enough to appeal to the unchurched. So, in the name of "reaching the unchurched" the true Gospel has been toned down – or gutted – to suite the desired effect. These skewed views have regrettably gained credibility and popularity due to the pen and the preaching of a few high profile leaders such as the ones mentioned above. It is because the MCGM ideas have enjoyed such success-in-numbers at mega churches such as Saddleback, Willow Creek, The Crystal Cathedral and Houston’s Lakewood Church that the new "cut-and-paste" versions of Christianity seem to be on an unstoppable roll." I can imagine that many good bible-believing preachers started out thinking, "if I could just reach more people for the Lord" but by the time they bought and read all of the Church growth books, went to all of the Rick Warren conferences and heard Bill Hybels testify about the growth at Willow Creek some of these bible believing ministers began to eventually rationalize how adjusting the message to be more "positive" could indeed gain the results in growth they so longed for. It may not happen all at once but the market-driven church growth movement appeals so greatly to our flesh that slowly but surely some once truly righteous preachers have slipped into the trap. God help us to remember that success at any cost is not what we’ve been called to. We are instructed to simply be faithful to God’s Word. This is why the Book of Acts accompanied by strong calls to repentance, prayer for the sick that they might be healed and an unabashed desire to see people delivered from demonic bondage should highlight our church growth ideas. For more on this see "The REAL Purpose of the Church" [10] YOU WANT WHAT??? !!! While this new brand of Christianity is being sold to the Church community as the only way to go, what we are not being told is that these notions were originally conceived and are still driven to this day by polling which targets the lost and asks what they want to hear and experience when they come to church! It is upon just such a foundation that Rick Warren (The Purpose Driven Life) based Saddleback Church in southern California. (The Purpose Driven Life, p.139) Pardon me for sounding so blatantly archaic but formulating what a church should do and teach on popular opinion is an utterly ridiculous plan – and a dangerous one too. If I were the Devil that’s what I’d want…have the Church redesign itself to be what the unsaved say it ought to resemble. Reaching the lost must be our mission but leaving aside the question of exactly what a church like Saddleback defines salvation to be and whether they are about the business of making biblical disciples there is another obvious question. Since Rick Warren believes that the best way to form a church was to morph Christianity into something suitable and acceptable to the unchurched then we are left with a very unsettling conclusion. Warren’s plan indicates that something must be wrong with who the Church has been and with the message we’ve been trying to reach the world with for the past 2000 years. It seems to me that when we replace the clear cut plan God gave us in the Bible and instead ask the world what it wants the Church to be, do and say it’s a monumental mistake. Warren’s first book (The Purpose Driven Church) promulgated his ideas mainly to leaders and enjoyed immense popularity predicated much upon his record of success-in-numbers at Saddleback Church. With that said, we might be well reminded of an important point. Though a church’s leadership might succeed at filling the seats in the sanctuary with the unchurched how can God be served if we fail in presenting them the complete and only biblical Gospel once they are there? While some ultra traditionalists may focus their disdain at the informality embraced by the MCGM, it is in the doctrinal views, message and counterculture attitudes where I reserve my strongest complaints. As an evangelist, you would think that I’d be in favor of getting as many people into church as possible. I can’t speak for every person from Saddleback or for every pastor who has used Rick Warren’s approach but what I can tell you is that I want to reach the lost as much as any person you will ever meet in your life. However, the truth is that not everybody is going to like, want or accept the authentic Gospel. Jesus made that clear. When are we going to understand that it’s not our business to convert anybody. That is the holy Spirits job. Our business is to stand and present the complete and only message that the Holy Spirit can use to reach a sinners heart! It is usually when people hit the very bottom in life that they begin to search for answers. When they do come calling at your church, what will they find and what outcome will they experience? What has really happened is that the unsaved who fill up the seats in churches where religious entertainment and psychology and self-help prevail become victims of deceptive religion. When the Gospel of repentance is downplayed and the sinfulness of fallen man is ignored people become that much more difficult to reach if and when the biblical gospel is ever communicated to them again. Why? Because they have accepted a perception of religion that only looked like Christianity but lacked the real power of the Spirit. How tragic that so many are receiving a form of Christianity – but without the power of the Cross. (II Tim. 3:5) Many of us know that the hardest case to witness to and reach is usually a religious person, don’t we? How can a Christian leader assert to have the answers for church growth yet do so without the authentic message? The obvious premise for church growth is to bring bodies into the building. Once there however, if we fail in presenting them with the Jesus whose salvation is absolutely predicated on the condition of repentance from sin what have we accomplished? If the Jesus we present these new products of growth is a Jesus who doesn’t heal the sick or deliver the demonized what have we accomplished? We can claim victory because of growth all we like but woe unto us if our message has been altered to produce only converts to religion! Instead of changing our service format, concentrating on being entertaining or softening our message has anybody considered the answer to church growth might be fasting and praying earnestly for a breakthrough in their church or community while continuing to boldly and biblically proclaim that Jesus saving, healing and delivering power is still available? My friends, if the Church proceeds into these murky waters there will be an eternal price paid. How can we claim to be Christians and then dare not deliver the complete truth that can eradicate evil in a sinners life and save his soul from the pit – all in the name of growth? BUT IT WORKS! So, we have expanded our buildings, hired more staff and improved our cash flow and claim we are "serving" more people. These and other results are enticing aspects, the sum of which, we are told, represent the fact that "God must be blessed by what we’ve done." But is that really the case? Just because we see results in the natural does this translate to results in the spiritual realm let alone the blessing of God? Since God exclusively honors His word and not our good intentions we should be careful about accepting the supposition that a full church somehow translates into God’s approval. Physical results born in human carnality which ignore or weaken the very core of why Christianity exists cannot be a "God thing." Eventually a large majority of the current troupe of church growth ideas will find their place among so many other philosophies that sounded good but failed. This is why it will become increasingly apparent that the new user friendly "Christianity" is indeed void of lasting impact and the power and presence of the Holy Ghost. Warren and others have become extremely popular preaching the gospel of "change." It has been said that Christianity needs an "extreme makeover." And frankly, at this point, I couldn’t agree more. Today there are many churches that desperately do need to change. So let me suggest that the first change we need to make is to reject the majority of plans and formulas authored by the Church Growth experts! The next change we ought to make is to go back to the Bible and follow the New Testament plan. This of course would make us completely dependant on the Holy Ghost again and as I have suggested would drive us to our knees making us get on our face before God and repent. Many of us have been sidetracked by what really amounts to silly ideas we’ve accepted from the cadre of church growth gurus who are slowly turning our churches away from the pure and powerful gospel that alone can save men. But thankfully, we in leadership can indeed reconsider. Until we do so however, any talk of true revival and real discipleship in circles dominated by the MCGM is really just so much hot air. Because of its compatibility with liberal theology the philosophy of "here-and-now" completely permeates the once sound denominations. However, if you were previously unaware of the encroachment of this self-centered gospel into the evangelical, Pentecostal and fundamentalist ranks then at least now you have my perspective to be somewhat forewarned. These movements continue to gain followers and offer growth yet are actually leading to a deep and divisive splintering within the Church in these end-days. It is our responsibility to lovingly stand up, point out the problems and then preach and present the accurate truth of God’s Word. If the attempt hasn’t been made to change the focus and message of your church then rejoice but keep a watchful eye. As you do remember: the test for any idea that comes along is not whether the author is on some Christian TV program or whether his or her book is sold at Wal-Mart. The test isn’t even whether great numbers of respected churches or leaders are embracing a teaching or philosophy. The test is whether what is presented matches up to the high scrutiny of Scripture and follows God’s prescribed plan or not. © 2005, Eric Barger
Footnotes: [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arminianism [3] http://www.ericbarger.com/preterism.htm [4] http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=Topic&TopicID=10 [5] http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=206 [6] http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/1/162006b.asp [7] Fire in my Bones email "George Barna's Dangerous Proposal" by J. Lee Grady 1/17/2006[8] http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=206 [9] Fire in my Bones email "George Barna's Dangerous Proposal" by J. Lee Grady 1/17/2006 [10] http://www.ericbarger.com/real_purpose/rpotc.1.htm
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